Bolivia’s Palos Blancos Municipality Establishes New Protected Area to Safeguard Endangered Cloud Forest Species

The Municipal Government of Palos Blancos has officially established the Serranías y Cuencas de Palos Blancos Municipal Protected Area. The new area spans 217,468 acres (88,006 hectares) and is a sanctuary dedicated to preserving critical ecosystems in the Andes-Amazon transition of La Paz, Bolivia. Established on December 30, 2025, this new area contributes to the Madidi-Amboró biodiversity corridor, filling an important gap in the lowland Amazon to cloud forest transition.

The newly protected area is home to an estimated 1,267 wildlife species, including 13 endemic species found nowhere else but Bolivia. The area provides a refuge for the critically endangered snake Atractus emmeli, the endangered three-colored harlequin frog (Atelopus tricolor), the black spider monkey (Ateles chamek) as well as the vulnerable harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja). Other iconic species the area protects include the jaguar (Panthera onca), the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), and the pacarana (Dinomys branickii). The new area also protects at least 1,374 plant species, with 44 classified as endemic.

The Serranías y Cuencas de Palos Blancos Municipal Protected Area is directly adjacent to the Moseten Indigenous Territory and the Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands which strengthens the Madidi-Amboró biodiversity corridor by providing additional connectivity. 

In Palos Blancos, 86% of the area’s forests are undisturbed by human intervention. By linking highlands and valleys, the new protected area safeguards critical headwaters and waterways, including the Alto Beni River.

Acknowledgements: 

This achievement was made possible through the leadership of the Municipal Government of Palos Blancos, Conservation International Bolivia, and the Bolivian Network of Community-Based Solidarity Tourism (Red TUSOCO), with funding from Rainforest Trust and Andes Amazon Fund. The Andes Amazon Fund’s financial support for this project was generously provided by the Wyss Foundation.