Isiboro Sécure Indigenous Territory and National Park (TIPNIS)

The Isiboro Sécure Indigenous Territory and National Park (Territorio Indigena Parque Nacional Isiboro Sécure, TIPNIS) is an area that spans the Bolivian departments of Beni and Cochabamba, in the north central part of the country. It is designated as an indigenous territory, or a Tierra Comunitaria de Orígen (TCO).

Creation of National Park in 1965
TIPNIS was initially created as Parque Nacional del Isiboro y Sécure(Isiboro and Sécure National Park, PNIS) by Decreto Ley No. 07401 on November 22, 1965. The park had the following borders:
 * To the North, where the three departments La Paz, Beni and Cochabamba meet, and following the course of the Natusama and Sécure rivers until they meet in the east with the Isiboro.
 * To the South, along the Yusama and Isiboro rivers until they join in the east with the Chipiriri River.
 * To the East, the junction of the Chipiriri with the watershed of the Isiboro River until it joins with the Sécure River at the Port of Gral. Esteban Arze.
 * To the West, through the dividing waters of the Cordilleras (mountain ranges) of Sejeruma and Mosetenes.

This area fell in the Province of Chapare in Cochabamba and Moxos in Beni. The initial decree cited the "need to preserve watersheds, the headwaters of the rivers for navigation, wealth of natural resources, and the scenic beauty, which could be affected by the construction of a road along the edge of the foothills and by colonization."

Creation of Indigenous Territory in 1990
On September 24, 1990, Decreto Supremo 22610 recognized the area as ancestral domain of the Mojeño, Yuracaré y Chimán indigenous peoples. Thus, the land became known as TIPNIS, Territorio Indígena Parque Nacional Isiboro Sécure. This expanded the area of TIPNIS to the areas outside of the Isiboro and Sécure Rivers, incorporating the communities living on the banks of rivers and creating a buffer strip. At that time, TIPNIS was recognized to contain 1,225,347 hectares.

Reduction in Size
In 2009, under pressure of colonizers, President Evo Morales issued an executive order that reduced TIPNIS to 1,091,656 hectares and defined a red line that prohibited new settlements. However, the total area stll remains a protected area.

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Bolivia's Law of the Rights of Mother Earth
 * Bolivian Forum on the Environment and Development (FOBOMADE)
 * Tierra Comunitaria de Orígen (TCO)
 * IIRSA

External Resources

 * IsiboroSécure.com

External Articles

 * Tanya Kerssen, "The Road to Progress or the Road to Ruin? - Debating Development in Bolivia," Food First, October 19, 2011.
 * Jill Richardson, "Bolivia Diaries: Day 2, Part 4 - Controversial Highway Through the Jungle (TIPNIS), La Vida Locavore, August 29, 2011.
 * Cochabamba resident Sarah Hines, "An indigenous struggle against Morales," Socialist Worker, August 29, 2011.