Parks, people and traditional knowledge; a challenge for regionalized development. Presented by Sebastien Boillat at the "Perth II: Global Change and the World's Mountains" conference in Perth, Scotland in September 2010.

1. Parks, people and traditional knowledge; a
challenge for regionalized development
The case of the Tunari National Park (Bolivia)
Sébastien Boillat, Centre for Development and Environment,
University of Bern, Switzerland

2. 1. Context
2. Ecological outcomes
3. Ecosystem management „from within“
4. Exploring political ecology
5. Conclusions and research agenda

3. Cochabamba department
Bolivia
75‟000 people; 350 Quechua
communities
11‟000 urban settlers
1Million urban people
1. Context

4. Legal framework and enforcement
1962: small protected
area above the city;
law enforced (1%)
1991: whole mountain range (areas above 2750 m)
decreted a National Park by Law “Nr.1262”:
• Expropriation of uncultivated areas
• Ban on livestock breeding and wood cutting
• State forestation programme
• No new constructions allowed
• No consultation, no indemnization, no information

5. 2. Ecological outcomes

6. Biodiversity
• 40 plant communities identified, described, mapped
Forest (Polylepis besseri) Shrub (Berberis comutata) Scrub (Dodonaea viscosa)
Tussock grass Low grass Forbs (Oxalis macachin)
(Festuca dolichophylla) (Muhlenbergia peruviana)
Plantation (Pinus radiata) Wetland (Plantago tubulosa) Xeric (Puya glabrescens)

7. Diversity of plant communities and land use
• Diversity
highest in
rain-fed
cultivation
zones
"Intermediate" land useNegative effect
•
intensity (e.g. rain-fed of protection
on number of
cultivation) corresponds plant
to the highest diversitycommunities
of
ecosystems Park
• Ecosystem
Gap diversity
higher at
intermediate
land use
intensity
*probable area effects

8. Loss of traditional knowledge:
effect of the Park ?
Graph 5.10.: School children that know indicators for weather prediction in Chorojo and Tirani
25 24
20
Number of children
15
Chorojo
Tirani
10
10
5
5 4
3
2
0
Dot not know Know Know and recreate
Source: Chirveches (2006)

9. 3. Ecosystem management: a
perspective « from within »
Ecosystems = “Places”
Pampa Kinray Moq’o Meq’a Punta
Loma K’asa Mayu Kallk’a T’oqo
Qhochi Ch’anka Monte Churo Phaqcha
“Place types”
Orqo

10. 240 toponyms 68 toponyms

11. “Inviting the places”
“Here the Era Moq‟o, the gulches, or the springs, and all of that, you
have to say it out loud, in Quechua, like this: „Qan qhawarinki
tarpusqayquta‟ (please watch over our crop field). (Epifanio Aguilar,
43, Tirani)
places are living beings
“Some places are strong, like those in the highlands, and they
help to produce potatoes, oca, barley and oats. (…) We perform
the q‟oa so the land produces; the Pachamama is the one who
cares for the earth.” (Candelaria Rojas, 34, Chorojo)

12. How a place gets a name
“Here is Jatun Mariano, and his younger brother
Juch‟uy Mariano, he has his name, and it was
always so. So we found it out.” (Ignacio Vargas,
75, yatiri of Chorojo)
Don Mariano = Aqorani Peak
(4606 m)
Dialogue with places
Knowledge as skill
(Tim Ingold)

13. Sacred places Khuchi Rumi
Killa Rumi
Sombrerito Orqo
Cumbre Rumi
Negro Jusq‟o Laguna San Juan
Asna Ciénaga Kasasani Monte

14. Principles of land use in relation to TEK
• Integral, extensive and diversified use
• Need to build relationships with “the places”
There is a link between traditional knowledge,
worldview and an extensively used, diverse
landscape
• No nature-culture separation
• No “wilderness” areas
• An “a-dual” cultural landscape

15. … But there are also unsustainable processes
Respect grazing circuits or send kids
to school ?
Plant trees and leave the
land to the park ?
Fencing? Out of question !
Migrate or build a terrace ?

16. 4. Towards reconciliation? Exploring
the political ecology of the Tunari
National Park
 Co-production of traditional and scientific
knowledge lead to valuate diversity at ecosystem
level
 Evidence of a cultural landscape to be enhanced

17. Suyus or Municipios ?

18. New paradigm in conservation
should solve the problem…
Fortress approach « Paper Park »
“Nature-society hybrids” (Zimmerer, 2000)
Conservation of biodiversity
no more autonomous from
resource use
20 years old idea
Consensus
Role of traditional
resource use for building in
biodiversity management
Bio-cultural Cultural Co-
diversity landscapes MAB management

19. Stakeholder (actor) mapping
2003
Who is ready to dialogate ?

20. The « reversi game » of conservation
Exploring further

21. The « reversi game » of conservation
Co-management Fortress No park
UN Conserv.
1980
International System NGOs
Parks Peasant +
Government
National direction ind. org.
TNP
authorities
Local Env.
District Municipality
NGO
Peasants Peasants
Urban pop. (enforced (non-enforced
Local zone) zone)

22. The « reversi game » of conservation
Consensus No consensus No park
UN Conserv.
2000
International System NGOs
Parks Peasant +
Government
National direction ind. org.
TNP
authorities
Local Env.
District Municipality
NGO
Peasants Peasants
Illegal
Urban pop. (enforced
Local settlers
zone)
(non-enforced
zone)

23. The « reversi game » of conservation
Consensus No consensus No park
UN Conserv.
2010
International System NGOs
Parks Peasant +
Government
National direction ind. org.
TNP
authorities
Local Env.
District Municipality
NGO
Downscaling conflicts
Peasants Peasants
Illegal
Urban pop. (enforced (non-enforced
Local settlers
zone) zone)

24. Costs and benefits of the park
Benefits ecological economic political socio-
cultural
Rural – Erosion Ranger jobs Protection -
enforced protection Forestry, against
tourism urbanization
Rural – not - - - -
enforced
Urban Erosion Tourism Image of an Recreation
protection; « ecological » area
water city
conservation
Costs ecological economic political socio-
cultural
Rural – Biodiversity Loss of land Loss of self- Loss of
enforced and water and grazing determination traditional
loss areas knowledge
Rural – not (Erosion) Lack of gvt. Legal -
enforced support insecurity
Urban - Restrictions Conflicts with -
on urban dev. rural dwellers

25. Some news from the Tunari …
21-06-2007
Government deputy: proposes modification of
legal framework to legalize urbanization and
settlements in the area
And about the rural
communities ?
11-12-2007 Los Tiempos
Departmental and municipal authorities,
university, college of architects, and ecologists
asked the army to militarize the area
22-08-2010 El Diario
500 hectares of forest burnt in the area near the
city. Inspecting authorities found an illegal
cocaine processing plant in the area

26. « Hostage zone »
Conflicts linked
with urbanization

27. Conclusions
 We have gained detailed “system” and
“target” knowledge that could enable co-
management of the Tunari Cordillera
 Co-management is made impossible by
political appropiation of the Tunari
landscape by urban groups
 “Politics lag” between theory and practice of
conservation
 Protected areas, as well as their
questionning, are part of global change (not
a response to global change)
 Political ecology : gain transformation
knowledge we need

28. Research agenda
 Are highlanders actually being empowered
by the current political process ?
 Who wins, who loses ? A differentiated
approach
 Evolving ideologies and perceptions; a
multi-stakeholder approach (including
urban groups)
 Conservation policies, agrarian policies,
decentralization ? An institutional approach
to legal pluralism

29. ¡ Muchas Gracias !

30. Methods #1
Species Plant communities
Vegetation mapping (“ecosystems”)
•From the parts to the whole
•Observation should not depend on
the observer
•Knowledge is deduction process

31. Methods #2
Observation, Spatial unities Characteristics,
contemplation, (toponyms) resources
revelation,
dreams, tradition
•Defining the whole precede
defining the parts
•Observation depends on the
observer
•Knowledge is perception skill Traditional
activities

32. Fundaments of TEK and SEK
Relationships
TEK and SEK build on
different fundaments, but
are not exculsive to each
other
Peasants may perceive SEK as a “particular case” or an “extension”
of their knowledge, which considers only material relationships