Two New Municipal Areas Protect over 300,000 Acres in Potosí, Bolivia, Safeguarding Endangered Birds and Headwaters

The newly established Río Chilenas and Ciudad Roma Municipal Protected Areas safeguard over 300,000 acres of fragile high-altitude wetlands, grasslands, and forests within Bolivia’s iconic Lípez mountain range located in the southern department of Potosí. These areas create an important transboundary ecological corridor that protects headwaters that feed into the La Plata River Basin while providing a sanctuary for threatened species like the critically endangered Andean mountain cat, near threatened Chilean flamingo, and vulnerable Andean condor. The new Municipal Protected Areas provide strengthened protection for an overlapping Communal Indigenous Territory (TIOC) belonging to the Lliphi Indigenous Peoples while also promoting conservation rooted community participation and traditional values. 

The Río Chilenas Municipal Protected Area

The Río Chilenas Municipal Protected Area was established on October 27, 2025 and spans 141,206 acres (57,144 hectares) of high Andean ecosystems. Located along the border with Argentina, Río Chilenas encompasses important water sources including the headwaters of the San Juan del Oro-Pilaya-Pilcomayo Basin which later joins the broader La Plata River Basin. The area also protects wetlands, grasslands, Polylepis forests, and over 30 high altitude lakes. 

The new protection for these important water sources will help safeguard them against illegal mining, and continue to provide the high altitude ecosystems with undisturbed habitat for species such as the Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), and Andean mountain cat (Leopardus jacobita), which is critically endangered in Bolivia. Other notable species protected by Rio Chilenas include the vicuña (Vicugna vicugna), vizcacha (Lagidium viscaccia), Andean fox (Lycalopex culpaeus), and Darwin’s rhea (Pterocnemia pennata).

The new protected area enhances connectivity with the neighbouring Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve and the newly created Ciudad Roma Municipal Protected Area. The area is also located near the “Laguna Colorada” lake, Bolivia’s first Ramsar site and a popular tourist destination. By mitigating illegal mining and poaching, Rio Chilenas strengthens the region’s potential for sustainable tourism rooted in local communities and also safeguards grasslands used for sustainable camelid grazing. 

The Ciudad Roma Municipal Protected Area

The newly established Ciudad Roma – Guadalupe – Río Mojón – El Tholar Municipal Protected Area (Ciudad Roma) is located to the east of the Río Chilenas Municipal Protected Area and was established on December 18, 2025, spanning 162,293 acres (65,678 hectares) in a geologically unique section of the Lípez mountain range. The area’s distinct rock formations and valleys serve as a sanctuary for the aforementioned threatened species also found in Río Chilenas.

In addition to its proximity with the Río Chilenas Municipal Protected Area, Ciudad Roma adds to the connectivity of regional wildlife reserves, including the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve in Bolivia, Los Flamencos National Reserve in Chile, and the Vilama Provincial Reserve in Argentina. Ciudad Roma protects the headwaters of the San Antonio River Basin which connects with the La Plata River Basin downstream.

The landscape of the protected area is steeped in history, featuring numerous unstudied burial towers (chullpares as they are known in Spanish) from different historical periods identified by archeologists. Formal protection as a municipal protected area aims to halt looting and destruction of these sites, which have faced threats from outside looters and mining activities.

The primary objectives for the management of the new Ciudad Roma Municipal Protected Area will be to safeguard the water sources and ecological connectivity of the protected area and to ensure its sacred sites remain intact. Establishing its management structure will occur through a collaborative process with the local communities and municipal government while promoting sustainable community-based tourism—centered on the unique rock formations and archeological value — to provide a valuable economic avenue for the local population. 

Acknowledgements:

The establishment of the Río Chilenas Municipal Protected Area and Ciudad Roma Municipal Protected Area was made possible by the Municipal Government of San Antonio de Esmoruco alongside the local communities and authorities of Río Chilenas and Ciudad Roma and the Communal Indigenous Territory (TIOC) belonging to the Lliphi Indigenous Peoples with the technical support of Protección del Medio Ambiente Tarija (PROMETA), Organización De Turismo Corredor Altoandino Hito 5 Y 6, and the Centro De Madres De Río Chilenas. Financial support for PROMETA was provided by the Andes Amazon Fund and Conserva Aves.