AccesoPanAm (APA) – Survey on the status of climbing and mountaineering in Bolivia
FREYJA LAND CONSERVATION GRANTEE: ACCESOPANAM
*Freyja completed our funding cycle in August 2022
AccesoPanAm (APA) is an international non-profit organization created in 2009 that is dedicated to promoting free access, protection and conservation of climbing and mountaineering areas in Latin America. To ensure free access and protection of climbing and mountaineering environments, APA uses a variety of strategies including advocacy to influence public policies related to climbing, mountaineering and the environment; conservation actions to protect mountain ecosystems; negotiation related to access to climbing and mountaineering areas; training to strengthen local organizations that fight for access and conservation of climbing and mountaineering areas, and climbers and mountaineers so that they can carry out conservation initiatives; dissemination and education on conservation of mountain environments.
THE PROJECT
Bolivia is a country with a great diversity of mountain activities. Bolivia is crossed by the Andes mountain range, which covers 28% of the country’s territory. The Andes in Bolivia has some of the highest elevations in South America with mountains over 6,000 meters and it is divided into the western mountain range, also known as the Cordillera Real and the eastern mountain range. Among its valleys is the so-called Bolivian Altiplano. The most visited mountains are: Illimani, Condoriri, Huayna Potosí or Little Alpamayo, in the Cordillera Real; and Sajama, Pomarape and Parinacota, in the Western Cordillera.
Bolivia, due to its ethnic-cultural composition, is one of the most pre-Columbian societies on the continent, in which almost 70% of the population self-identifies as belonging to one of the 36 indigenous peoples of the country.
This project aims to carry out an initial survey in order to assess the current situation of mountain activities in Bolivia, detecting possible conflicts within the community, environmental problems, access issues, policies and regulations. Identifying possible areas of collaboration in relation to the sustainable management of mountaineering and climbing, environmental education/awareness, access conflicts and regulatory needs (advocacy).
