Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands (''Reserva de Biosfera y Tierra Comunitaria de Origen Pilón Lajas'') is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

located in the departments of

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the third-most populous city in Bol ...

( Sud Yungas, Larecaja and Franz Tamayo provinces) and

Beni is a Japanese R&B singer, who debuted in 2004 under the Avex Trax label. In 2008, Arashiro left Avex Trax and transferred to Universal Music Japan where she started to perform as simply Beni (stylized as BENI). She was initially best known fo ...

(

José Ballivián Province José Ballivián is a province of the Beni Department in northern Bolivia. It is named for José Ballivián, a general and former president of Bolivia who lived from 1805 until 1852. The province has a north-south extent. To the west the province ...

), in their northern and western parts, respectively, about 350 km northeast of

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

and 50 km west of San Borja. It lies largely within the

Bolivian Yungas The Bolivian Yungas is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Yungas of central Bolivia. Setting The ecoregion occurs in elevations ranging from on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Bolivia, extending into a small ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

. The main river that flows in the Pilon Lajas area is the Quiquibey River. As of 2004, the indigenous population of Pilón Lajas was 1,394, distributed across 25 communities. Predominantly these residents are members of the Mosetén,

Tsimané The Tsimané, also known as the Tsimane' or Chimane, are an indigenous people of lowland Bolivia, living chiefly in the Beni Department municipalities of San Borja, San Ignacio de Moxos, Rurrenabaque, and Santa Ana del Yacuma. The Tsimané are th ...

, and

Tacana people The Tacana People are an ethnic group who live in the Beni Department of Bolivia. There were 18,535 of them in 2012, of whom 559 speak the Tacana language natively. Background and social organization During the process of Inca expansion tow ...

s, but they also include intermarried

Quechuas Quechua people (, ; ) or Quichua people, may refer to any of the aboriginal people of South America who speak the Quechua languages, which originated among the Indigenous people of Peru. Although most Quechua speakers are native to Peru, there ...

, Aymaras, Lecos and Yuracarés.

Establishment

Pilón Lajas was declared a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 1977. The Bolivian government designated it an indigenous territory and biosphere reserve through Supreme Decree 23110, issued in 1992. The multiethnic Tsimané Moseten Regional Council ( es, Consejo Regional Tsimane Moseten; CRTM) was formed in 1992 and received the title to the reserve as a Native Community Land or TCO in 1997.

References

External links

www.parkswatch.org / Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands

''Reserva de Biosfera y Tierra Comunitaria de Origen PILÓN LAJAS''
(Spanish) Protected areas of Bolivia Geography of La Paz Department (Bolivia) Geography of Beni Department Protected areas established in 1992 Biosphere reserves of Bolivia Native Community Lands in Bolivia {{LaPazBO-geo-stub