Posted on August, 28 2025

Santa Cruz de la Sierra, August 2025.- There are places where nature still breathes almost untouched. Where water sources feed the lives of entire communities, forests weave corridors for wildlife to move through, and the silent presence of the jaguar reminds us of the value of conserving what we still have.

Aware of this value, the Autonomous Municipal Government of El Carmen Rivero Torrez took a historic step by enacting the Municipal Autonomous Law creating the “Monte Carmelo” Municipal Protected Area, covering 87,173 hectares. This decision responds to the urgent need to protect water recharge areas, key biological corridors, and emblematic species such as the jaguar (Panthera onca).

Located at a strategic point in the Pantanal-Chaco landscape (PACHA), in the municipality of El Carmen Rivero Tórrez, it lies at the convergence of three ecosystems of high ecological importance: the Pantanal, the world's largest wetland; the Gran Chaco, the planet's most extensive dry forest; and the Chiquitano Dry Forest. El Carmen Rivero Tórrez is the link in a system of protected areas of high environmental value such as San Matías, the Tucabaca Valley, Kaa-Iya, and Otuquis, as well as other protected areas in Brazil and Paraguay, forming a natural corridor on a continental scale.

Monte Carmelo was created with three major conservation objectives:

• To protect the water recharge areas and springs that supply local communities.
• To conserve forests that are strategic for water and biological connectivity, which are essential for biodiversity.
• Ensure the continued presence of the jaguar, a key species for the health of the PACHA landscape ecosystems.

The establishment of this protected area strengthens ecological connectivity between Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay, linking 28 protected areas and indigenous territories that together total more than 12 million hectares of continuous conservation: the largest protected area on the continent in this region. This effort is aligned with the Pantanal 2022–2030 tri-national strategy, which prioritizes the integrated management of protected areas to strengthen jaguar corridors at the national, departmental, municipal, and community levels.

The process of creating the Monte Carmelo Municipal Protected Area was the result of several years of technical and participatory work. Within the framework of the Pantanal Ecoregional Action Plan, with financial support from WWF Netherlands, WWF Bolivia established an institutional alliance with the Municipal Government of El Carmen Rivero Torrez. Together with the Bolivian Society for Environmental Law (SBDA), a study was conducted to identify and classify the municipality's strategic water resources, which highlighted the Monte Carmelo area as fundamental for water supply.

“Monte Carmelo is an area with essential characteristics for water infiltration and aquifer recharge. The protected area conserves water resources for its population, while we are connecting ecosystems for other species,” says Victor Hugo Magallanes, Head of Pantanal Project at WWF-Bolivia.

At the same time, the Wildlife Connect initiative, active since 2022, identified Monte Carmelo as a key point for jaguar connectivity within the PACHA landscape, which covers territories in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. In 2023, a camera trap study led by SBDA confirmed the presence of jaguars in the area, reinforcing its value as an ecological corridor. The results of this research were published in Miradas Ocultas (2025), which reveals the biological richness of the region.

Rafael Antelo, leader of WWF's Wildlife Connect Initiative, said: "This protected area is very important because it closes a gap between protected areas that extend from Brazil in the north to Paraguay in the south. It is part of a project we have been working on for years with specialists in jaguar connectivity, which culminates in moving from the science developed with experts to key actions in the territory with the declaration of a protected area."

Both initiatives joined forces to promote the creation of a more significant protected area, integrating the objectives of water resource conservation and connectivity. Free, prior, and informed consent was a fundamental pillar in this process. The communities of Ocho Hermanos, Carmen Viejo, and Carmen Uno gave their consent, voluntarily expressing their decision to join the conservation effort by incorporating their territories within the boundaries of the Monte Carmelo Municipal Protected Area. This reaffirms that conservation is most effective when it is built from and with communities and highlights the importance of continuing to strengthen participatory processes in local governance.

We highlight the committed leadership of local authorities, especially the mayor of El Carmen Rivero Tórrez, Celvy Orellana, Rosangela Méndez, president of the Municipal Council, and Estefano Justiniano, director of the Environment and Risk Management Unit. Their vision and determination made this important achievement for conservation and sustainable development in the municipality possible.

"This land not only produces, it also preserves. From that preservation comes our livelihood, our identity, and a clear vision for the future. This decision is a legacy for future generations, so that our children can grow up with this benefit. I am deeply grateful to the Municipal Council and the communities, the protagonists of this dream, who said yes, we want a protected area." Said Celvy Orellana, mayor of El Carmen Rivero Tórrez.

Monte Carmelo symbolizes a living bridge between the water that sustains its people and the forests that provide refuge for wildlife. A courageous step that fills a gap in the PACHA Landscape conservation network and sows hope that future generations will inherit a territory in balance, where life continues to flow connected.