Amboró National Park: Wilderness at Risk

Amboró National Park - Bolivia - Dawn's arrival over this rare wilderness is accompanied by sounds of the awakening jungle. High overhead in the treetops pairs of toucans greet the morning with raucous honks and hollow clacks of their cumbersome beaks. In the dense canopy of mahogany trees, howler monkeys groan loudly at the cacophony upstairs, while hundreds of feet below on the forest floor are heard the gentle rustlings of peccaries and horned curassows in search of morning fare.

This is Amboró. For many, the idea of exploring an untouched junglescape is a remote dream; however, a three hour drive west from the lowland city of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, will take the adventurous tourist into one of the most pristine and, as of yet, unspoiled tropical habitats in the world--but unspoiled for how long?

Amboró National Park, covering an area of over 630,000 hectares, lies within three distinct ecosystems: the foothills of the Andes, the northern Chaco and the Amazon Basin. The park was originally established as the Reserva de Vida Silvestre German Busch in 1984 but, with the help of native biologist Noel Kempff, British zoologist Robin Clark and others, the park was expanded to its present size.

The park hosts an incredible variety of flora and fauna. Because of its unique geographical locations, both highland and lowland species are indigenous to the region. One can find many trees valued for their fine wood such as mahogany (Swietenia), palms like the Chonta (Astrocaryum) a huge variety of bromeliads and orchids, and limited forests of giant fern and bamboo. Recent studies place the number of plant species at 638, though many species have, as of yet, not been clearly identified.

Because the park straddles different ecosystems, the animal population is also unusually diverse. Perhaps most impressive is the number of birds that inhabit the area including such rarities as the horned curassow, quetzal, cock-of-the-rock, chestnut-fronted macaw and cuvier toucan. Amboró National Park has the largest recorded number of birds in the world, at 780 species.

Most mammals native to Amazonia are also represented. They include capybaras, peccaries, tapirs, several species of monkey such as howlers and capuchins, jungle cats like the jaguar, ocelot and margay, and the increasingly rare, spectacled bear, the only species of bear found in South America.

But despite its legal status, the park continues to suffer under threat. Controversial park zoologist Robin Clark remembers that, after the expansion of the park in 1990, borders became confusing and undefined and local farmers, loggers and hunters inadvertently began moving into areas that were designated park lands. For eight years, Clark spent his own money on the park and battled with those eager to exploit the area. He set up what is known as the "Red Line", an unofficial boundary which encompasses the still intact part of the park. He then proceeded to arrest anyone trespassing beyond this line, personally confiscating their machetes, chainsaws and guns.

"The Andes are what I like to call the world’s biggest sandcastle. Cutting down the forest would be a disaster," Clark claimed in a 1995 interview. "Logging, is still a problem, but things have improved." One of his main goals was to acquire increased financial support in order to protect what is clearly both an important natural habitat and watershed area. He researched ways in which to utilize the park in its undefiled state and hoped to encourage the harvesting of natural tree gums and medicinal plants. Clark did what he felt was necessary to protect the area. He confronted slash-and-burn farmers squatting on park lands and called upon government officials for immediate action. He wrote pointed editorials in national newspapers on the poor allocation of park funds. Eventually Clark was forced to leave Bolivia for his native England due to alleged threats to his personal safety.

"Amboró is an ecological masterpiece " Clark had said before his departure from Bolivia. "780 species of birds have been discovered already and only 50 per cent of the park has been thoroughly explored." He also pointed out that while people eulogize a place like Costa Rica, which contains a total of nine life zones, Bolivia has a total of 13.

"I've dedicated so much time to this place because I believe this is one of the richest places on earth," he stated. "And I think there's still hope. The fact that horned curassows still exist in relatively large numbers is reason enough to keep the park".

But in 2001, a specter looms on the horizon. With continued pressure on Bolivia to phase out coca farming, illegal settlers displaced by government actions have already taken over 40,000 hectares of park lands, while an estimated 30,000 coca-growers expecting to lose their livelihood have put in a bid for use of another 100,000 hectares.

Although Amboró National Park remains off the beaten track for tourists, some ecotourism agencies are making the park more accessible. This has been both a blessing and a curse in a country where environmental regulations are only haphazardly enforced. As a result, each travel outfit has redefined the term ‘ecotourism’ more to suit their needs rather than to help protect the area, and, in some cases, the environmental impact has been exacerbated rather than reduced by careless visitors to the park (i.e. graffiti, garbage, liberal use of machetes, hunting).

One positive development has been the training over the past several years of park rangers, or guardaparques, who are not only experts on flora and fauna, but also help to enforce the park’s borders (all visitors to the park are expected to be accompanied by at least one guardaparque.) Part of their training requires entering into the peripheral farming communities to educate people on the benefits of helping to protect the park. The response has been a mixed bag of cooperation and skepticism on the part of the locals.

Amboró National Park will appeal mostly to those hardy souls who don't mind making the outdoors their home. There are numerous tributaries of the Yapacaní and Surutú rivers (which form the northern border of the park) to explore, the most notable being the Isama, Macunucú, and Colorado. There are endless waterfalls and cool, green swimming pools, moss-ridden caves and, of course, the fragile yet awe-inspiring presence of the rain forest.

Amboró is a place of rugged beauty.  One visit simply won't do. 

Useful Information

Amboró National Park lies three hours northwest of Santa Cruz just off the main highway to Cochahamba.

Buses, taxis and four-wheel drives can easily be hired at fairly reasonable rates in Santa Cruz. Explore Bolivia at www.explorebolivia.com , run by Sergio Ballivian, also leads all-inclusive tours into the park. Also feel free to contact us at info@boliviangeographic.com  for more information about Amboró or Bolivia in general.

The best time of year to travel to the park is during the May to October dry season. Access often requires fording of rivers and a horseback ride or hike into one of the main camps which include toilets, cooking, and basic sleeping facilities.

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Copyright © 1999 Bolivian Geographic. All rights reserved.
Revised: May 21, 2002 .