The city of La Paz is the administrative capital and the second most populated city in Bolivia. The urban area of La Paz has developed in a narrow valley of La Paz River. This area features a rough topography with more than 200 rivers and streams whose soil shows unstable geological conditions. In addition, the occupation of flood-prone areas, the construction of housing on steep hills, changes experienced in water regimes, the occupation of overall unstable areas, the blocking of slopes and the disposal of debris and dumping of wastes in canals represent major risk factors in terms of social construction. This also increases the existing level of vulnerability to potential disasters in the city, which is located at 3.600 meters over sea level.
The Municipality of La Paz posses a great variety of biodiversity, landscapes and ecosystems, which due to the unplanned increase of the urban areas was destroyed and devastated in many ways. One of them is the expansion of the urban area over the rural one. In response as this phenomenon the Municipality of La Paz established recently the Municipal Protected Areas System (MPAS) in 2008, under the leadership of Dr. Juan del Granado Cosio current mayor of the La Paz Municipality.

The MPAS was constituted with the main goal of seeking governance models that strengthen the conservation of the biodiversity and environmental services that a variety of ecosystems provide, through the development of economic and social incentives that allow to local inhabitants to contribute in the sustainable management of the lands and take part in the efforts of the National conservation.

The project will strengthen the sustainable management of this innovative System of Protected Areas through i) strength and consolidate the institutional management of the System, ii) protect the hydrological fresh water sources in the main protected areas (such as Zongo and Hampaturi), and iii) design and implement financial mechanisms for the integral management of the biodiversity in the whole protected areas. << Read less

Strengthen environmental management of the Protected Areas System in the vacinity of the city of La Paz. The project intends to begin a conscientious process on the population, especially urban population, about the high value of protected areas, landscapes, mainly to raise inhabitants' consciousness of the importance of basins conservation belonging to protected areas which provide daily fresh water. The project will additionally aim to develop indicators and mechanisms that show harmony between productive and social development along with nature conservation.

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The Municipality of La Paz it’s about 2,012 square kilometres and is divided into 23 districts, which are grouped in 8 macro-districts (seven are located in urban and almost urban areas and one of them is completely rural), its management is delegated in sub-municipalities.

One of the most important areas for the biodiversity that provides vital environmental goods and services to La Paz Municipality is the tropical region of about 2900 -3000 meters of the low lands belonging to Zongo Valley, the other one is about 5000 meters wide of the highest mountains. However, the low lands belong to Zongo Valley, that posses totally different ecological characteristics to the rest of the municipal area. Such characteristics of relative humidity and precipitations provide fresh water in approximately 90% to the whole municipal area, the remaining area of the municipality has a dry climate.

In the low lands (Río Abajo) humidity is relative in magnitude, precipitations are about 600 mm as in La Paz city, but higher temperatures allow a greater hydrological shortage. There is a rain stationary, occurring principally in the summer, meanwhile the winters are very dry (these characteristics are presented in most tropical climates). The author Montes de Oca 1989, reports the climate values of La Paz urban area with a mean value of 11.2 ºC.

From a thermic point of view, the average difference of warm and cold months is hardly 4.3ºC which shows the importance of humid tropical areas conservation. However, it is interesting to evaluate the maximum and minimum temperatures that are considered the most important elements for biota survival. The climate change phenomenon increases maximum temperatures, and then to preserve humid areas is very important for elements such as flora, which needs to survive in their own climate conditions.

The higher temperature in the municipality is about 22.5 ºC and the minimum is about -1,3 ºC, these numbers represent a big gap for a dry climate. In the arid regions of the municipality (Mallasa, Lipari) the difference between months is greater than that, due to the increase in the dryness that causes this contrast. Due to sun impacts during the day over the north mountainside of the South Hemisphere most of the areas located in the Municipality of La Paz are very dry almost all year long; in counterpart Zongo Valley’s weather is always humid therefore the thermic conditions are almost invariable.

Another important protected area of the Municipality of La Paz is Hampaturi, located close to the urban places. As Zongo, Hampaturi represents also a vital source of water, biodiversity, landscapes and other environmental services. Actually the area is getting crowded and many incentives are required for its sustainable development regarding its biodiversity conservation.

La Paz city is located in a excavated basin in the Altiplano surface, geologically it is a rich region where is possible to observe and study phenomena of sedimentation and erosion, mud formations, alluvial cones, and also volcanic phenomena formed in the past, but recently it is particularly interesting to observe the glacier retreatment in the Andean Zone. La Paz lands are divided into three categories: 1) superficial lands belonging to contemporary places of erosions, 2) lands of sedimentary formation belonging to the Altiplano, and 3) old lands that constitute the baseboard of the other lands. << Read less

The Municipal Protected Areas System was recognized as a great initiative for municipal biodiversity conservation because it is a way for La Paz inhabitants to be part of the environmental accountability and for the benefits as well. 

This is an efficient model of areas protection since the inhabitants along with the Municipality are responsible for the conservation of their own areas.

The Municipality of La Paz was successful in getting the funds of the international cooperation due to its biodiversity protection achievements and commitment in urban and rural areas.

The counterpart funds will be at least 80,000 Euros for three years in cash, and other contributions to the projects in kind. << Read less

The principal recipients of the benefits of the project will be the local communities of the urban and rural areas independently of their social condition. Obviously the project is looking forward to improve the economic conditions of the less income communities, giving them employment opportunities in their own protected areas.

The work in the rural areas allow the communities to improve their knowledge in environmental issues, and the management of their own natural resources, preserving the areas as assets, people who are migrating to urban areas seeking better living conditions would be able to value the environmental goods and services derived from protected areas, and finally urban people will be able to preserve and respect the environment services they receive from other areas and preserve main benefits such as fresh water.

Working in the city and communities implies to coordinate the actions with a lot of sectors and get the engagement of them for the implementation of the project, the local actors and communities will be the administrators of the actions, with the support of the Municipality of La Paz and The Nature Conservancy. << Read less

Goal 1.4: To substantially improve site-based protected area planning and management
Goal 2.1: To promote equity and benefit-sharing
Goal 2.2: To enhance and secure involvement of indigenous and local communities and relevant stakeholders
Goal 3.1: To provide an enabling policy, institutional and socio-economic environment for protected areas
Goal 3.2: To build capacity for the planning, establishment and management of protected areas
Goal 3.4: To ensure financial sustainability of protected areas and national and regional systems of protected areas
Goal 3.5: To strengthen communication, education and public awareness
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