Ixiamas-San Buenaventura Road Project (Bolivia)

The road project between Ixiamas and San Buenaventura, including a Participatory Working Group and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), represents the most concrete opportunity for the northern region of La Paz (namely, local governmental institutions, local organizations, peasant/settler communities, indigenous peoples, and the general population of the region) to bring environmental considerations into regional planning from the very first stages of the process. It presents the most concrete opportunity for the regional population to promote effective and informed participation in order to construct a  regional vision of the northern region of La Paz through the road. Avoiding or mitigating the negative effects of the indirect and induced impacts caused by the road project depends on the level of effective participation by local stakeholders, communities, and indigenous leaders in making decisions about the territorial planning process and the SEA that will directly affect their communities.

Through the road and its SEA, one can form a vision for the region, including conservation through the adequate management of natural resources, the reduction of poverty, and the creation of opportunities by the region and for the region. This is the starting point for a regional reality and regional demand. In this way, a fair distribution of benefits can jointly be obtained, putting value on traditional lifestyles and cultures in the region and conserving its ecosystem.

This webpage is an attempt to provide information about the territorial planning process and the road construction project, highlighting the most relevant information about future challenges and opportunities during the construction phase and about the implementation and operation of different social and environmental plans – including the SEA – that form an important part of the Ixiamas-San Buenaventura road project.

Protected Areas of Conservation and Biodiversity

Madidi as one of the central areas of conservation and strategic interest in the Andean region

More Than a Road

Road projects must form part of planning initiatives that have a greater scope than the road itself, namely, territorial development plans linked to productive undertakings, policies of territorial occupation, and  the expansion of basic services where road improvements increase the economic viability of other initiatives.

Taking into consideration the potential, multiplicative effects that the improvement of the road would create in the region in terms of incentives for future investments, it is critical to understand that “Ixiamas-San Buenaventura is more than a road” and needs to be dealt with within a regional analysis and planning process that includes the entire northern region of La Paz. It is for this reason that the Ixiamas-San Buenaventura road project represents an important and unquestionable opportunity to push forward and strengthen a governance scenario in the northern region of La Paz.

What environmental impacts/threats are most common in the road’s area of influence?

• Deforestation, due to legal and illegal (migratory) agriculture, on both agriculturally suitable and unsuitable land, principally in the livestock sector
• Forest degradation, due to unregulated timber extraction without replenishment
• Illegal hunting for meat, leather, and fur, and traffic of live animals with an enormous negative impact on regional biodiversity, including extinction of species and reduction of environmental services provided by the forest (water cycle, CO₂ fixation, etc.)
• Reduction in scenic beauty and touristic value
• Increase in risk of forest fires
• Invasion of protected areas (i.e. national parks / Madidi, APMI)
• Over-fishing, frequently with toxic illegal tools, dynamite
• Soil erosion, due to deforestation along slopes and poor land management
• Chemical contamination of soil and water, due to the abuse of agriculture chemicals or as a consequence of mining
• Entry of logging companies

What social impacts/threats are most common in the road’s area of influence?

• Enabling trafficking of drugs, weapons, wild animals, and contraband in general
• Stimulating the formation of slums or shanty towns
• Promotion of slave labor (i.e. in mining or prospecting and logging)
• Increase in delinquency and civil insecurity
• Loss of local cultural wealth
• Invasion of indigenous lands by farmers, loggers, and miners, with eventual violent conflict
• Displacement of tribal indigenous populations and peasant/settler communities, invasion of territory that belongs to other indigenous communities, and generation of conflict between them.
• Speculation in land and illegal seizure of land
• Proliferation of illegal crops (coca, marijuana, poppy)
• Incentive for migration to urban areas, degradation of social services and of the atmosphere in cities and local villages
• Increase in female and child prostitution
• Loss of cultural and traditional values
• Spread of diseases, especially malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever, due to water retention in places where material has been removed

What does the project financed by the World Bank consist of?

In May 2011, the Boards of Executive Directors of the World Bank approved a loan to the Bolivian Government for a total cost of US$ 129.2 million, of which the Bolivian Government is responsible for US$ 19.7 and the World Bank for US$ 109.5 million accrued as debt. The timeframe for the project is five years, and the World Bank has planned six annual payments, beginning in 2012 and ending in 2017, to complete the loan of US$ 109.5.

The agency in charge of administering the loan for the road project is the Bolivian National Road Agency (Administradora Boliviana de Carreteras – ABC). Before the approval of the loan, the Bolivian Government must have met two conditions:

• ABC must have adopted an Operational Manual
• For January 2012, ABC must have established a team for technical and administrative support within the specific unit that will aid the implementation of the project. This team should operate within an organizational structure that has sufficient authority to implement the project effectively. The team must have sufficient qualifications and experience in social and environmental management, as well as in monitoring and evaluation.

The project consists of three components:

Component 1 → US$ 118,2 million

Improve the key route between Ixiamas and San Buenaventura with a total cost of US$ 118.2 million, of which US$ 103.5 million is a loan from the World Bank and US$ 14.7 million is financed by the Bolivian Government. This component consists of:

• Improvement of the road, construction of pavement and approximately 20 bridges (including assistance services for supervision of the project) → US$ 87.9 million
• Bypass around Tumupasa (including a bridge) → US$ 1.6 million
• Access road to Tumupasa → US$ 1.3 million
• Mitigation of environmental damage → US$ 1.6 million
• Involuntary resettlement (physical cost only) → US$ 1.3 million
• Indigenous peoples plan (with technical contributions from CIPTA) → US$ 700,000
• Engineering services → US $5.8 million
• Financial audits → US$ 100,000
• Allocations for additional purchases and increase in prices → US$ 9.9 million
• Land acquisition → US$ 8.0 million

Component 2 → US$ 6 million

Improve the Rurrenabaque Airport with a total cost of US$ 6 million, completely financed by the World Bank loan. This component consists of:

• Construction of a taxiway, aircraft parking apron, piping, control tower, new passenger terminal, and fire-safety building; restoration of the current passenger terminal, including implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessment/Environmental Management Plan → US$ 2.5 million
• Equipment (air traffic control, firefighting and rescue system, passenger terminal systems, runway lighting, security) → US$ 2.4 million
• Engineering services → US$ 300,000
• Financial audits → US$ 80,000
• Allocations for additional purchases and increase in prices → US$ 720,000

Component 3 → US$ 5 million

Institutional strengthening of the Bolivian National Road Agency (Administradora Boliviana de Carreteras – ABC), the Airport and Aviation Services Administration (Administración de Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares a la Navegación Aérea – AASANA), and other pertinent entities with a total cost of US$ 5 million, completely financed by the Bolivian Government.

• Institutional strengthening of i) ABC and ii) AASANA (including the action plan for good government and the fight against corruption) → US$ 1 million
• Mitigation of the indirect environmental impacts caused by road operations, which includes support to other agencies such as SERNAP, ABT, and Vías Bolivia → US$ 4.0 million

What are the different aspects of Component 3?

Component 3 of the Ixiamas-San Buenaventura project consists of two critical opportunities to ensure and guarantee a transparent process in which all stakeholders interested in the territorial planning of the northern region of La Paz have a tangible space to discuss and negotiate their proposals, concerns, demands, and interests:

1. The creation of a Participatory Working Group for Sustainable Territorial Development, which will be organized and run by the Bolivian Vice Ministry for Public Investment and External Financing (VIPFE). All of the key stakeholders interested in the sustainable economic development of the northern region of La Paz – representatives of the affected municipalities, government entities, indigenous peoples, peasants, and civil society organizations – should participate in this group. Participants should also be those interested in monitoring the implementation of measures to mitigate the indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of the project. The VIPFE will the government institution in charge of guaranteeing coordination between the distinct government agencies technically responsible for the management of  the environmental and social aspects to be reinforced within the framework of Component 3. → US$ 325,000
2. The development of a Strategic Environmental Assessment of the road, incorporating potential investments in economic infrastructure (public and private) and extractive activities (such as fossil fuel extraction, mining, and hydroelectric dams) in the area,  in light of the indirect and cumulative long-term impacts that would affect one of the most important zones of biodiversity in Bolivia. → US$ 200,000

In addition to creating a Participatory Working Group for Sustainable Territorial Development and developing a Strategic Environmental Assessment, Component 3 must implement activities that:

i) Strengthen the surveillance capabilities of ABT through the following actions → US$ 800,000:

1. Construct two control posts to prevent illegal logging and to supervise productive and tourist activities in zones north of Ixiamas and San Buenaventura, integrated with the cargo control posts on roads administered by Vias Bolivia.
2. Provide vehicles, computers, and communications equipment to carry out inspections in the diverse areas under the jurisdiction of ABT.
3. Provide technical assistance to carry out studies with the following goals: 1) evaluate illegal logging in the area benefitting from the project and draw up recommendations to reduce it, and 2) revise and update the surveillance policy on forestry concessions and how they are carried out, in the event that this is  necessary (in other words, evaluation of management plans and financial capability)
4. Acquire high-resolution satellite images during the implementation of the project, with the goal of monitoring the changes in forest cover and the area benefitting from it
5. Hold technical workshops for intercultural communities, indigenous peoples, and municipal authorities on diverse topics related to sustainable forest planning.

ii) Strengthen the surveillance capabilities of SERNAP through the following actions → US$ 650,000:

1. Provide personnel, equipment, and vehicles for the prevention of illegal logging and poaching along the officially protected eastern border of Madidi National Park
2. Construct a camp that serves as the headquarters for park rangers, located 4 kilometers from Tumupasa in the town of Sadiri
3. Hold workshops to strengthen coordination between Madidi National Park and its officially protected zone
4. Provide technical assistance to design a financially sustainable mechanism to manage the national park, along with a legal framework and policies that promote tourism and grant concessions for ecotourism

iii) Support productive initiatives that prevent forests from being turned into cropland → US$ 695,000

iv) Support the implementation of Ixiamas’ Municipal Land-Use Plan → US$ 130,000

v) Participatory Environmental Monitoring Program (PMAP) to mitigate direct environmental impacts → US$ 300,000 

How prepared are we?

What studies were carried out to design the project?

In February 2011, at least three months before the project was approved, more than 3000 pages of studies were published on the World Bank’s website. Among these studies were the Environmental Impact Assessment (a second version, updated from the first EIA in 2008), an Indigenous Peoples Plan, a Resettlement Plan, and a final report on the mitigation of indirect environmental impacts.

Are these studies enough?

No … and due to the strategic importance of the project in the northern region of La Paz, the project requires a Strategic Environmental Assessment related to the potential investments in economic infrastructure and agro-industry (public and private) and extractive activities (fossil fuel extraction, mining, and hydroelectric dams, etc.) in the northern region of La Paz, taking into account that the long-term indirect and cumulative impacts of the road project have great potential to affect one of the most important areas of biodiversity in Bolivia.

What are the next steps?

Step 1:

Begin to implement Component 3 of the project before construction starts. It is important to understand that the implementation of Component 3 does not depend on the start of road construction. On the contrary, Component 3 should be implemented as soon as possible, preferably before road work starts. This is to ensure and guarantee the prevention and mitigation of large negative impacts; it also allows for advanced planning so that such impacts are not aggravated.

Step 2:

The Ministry of Development Planning must convene the first meeting to discuss the formation of a Participatory Working Group for Sustainable Territorial Development.

Who should participate?

Representatives of all of the key stakeholders in the northern region of La Paz …

… and relevant actors interested in the sustainable economic development of the northern region of La Paz, along with those interested in monitoring the implementation of measures to mitigate the indirect and cumulative environmental impacts of the project.

What must be discussed?

Ground rules related to the creation and operation of the Participatory Working Group for Sustainable Territorial Development:

• Operational rules:
  • How many times the group will meet
  • When and where the group will meet
  • How the Vice Ministry for Public Investment and External Financing should coordinate the group
  • Financial resources necessary to conduct the meetings
  • Etc.
• Mechanism for selection of delegates in accordance with a differentiation of rights
• Roles and responsibilities of the delegates
• Plan for communication and dissemination of information
• Mechanism for conflict resolution
• Mechanism for decision-making (if applicable)
• Mechanism for control and accountability, etc.

These ground rules must be developed through a transparent process, with the participation of all the stakeholders involved. Furthermore, these rules must be developed as soon as possible, even before the start of road work.

Step 3:

The Bolivian National Road Agency (ABC) must prepare and implement a Communications Strategy to provide information about the details and status of the project, about the details and status of Component 3, about the work conducted by the Participatory Working Group for Sustainable Territorial Development, about the details and status of the Strategic Environmental Assessment, etc.

The Plan for Communication and Dissemination of Information should be developed according to the principles and criteria of transparency, based on agreements between participants about the process of dissemination of information and public documentation during the development of the Strategic Environmental Assessment and territorial planning. It should specify, among other things: i) relevant documentation to be made public, ii) a regular calendar detailing when said documentation and information will be made public, iii) the most appropriate ways to disseminate the information with respect to different social and cultural contexts, iv) the agency or entity responsible for the preparation and dissemination of the necessary documentation to be made public, and v) potential future investments in the northern region of La Paz.

• Begin to elaborate a Strategic Environmental Assessment of the road, related to potential investments in economic infrastructure and agro-industry (public and private) and extractive activities (fossil fuel extraction, mining, hydroelectric dams, etc.) in the northern region of La Paz.

Why is it necessary to carry out a Strategic Environmental Assessment?

• Because “Ixiamas-San Buenaventura is more than a road.” Taking into account the incentives for future and potential investments that the rehabilitation of the road would create in this region, it is important that all of the investments and interventions within the road’s area of influence be included in a Regional Planning process. This is due to the strong correlation and synergy between the road and the level of development in the area, in terms of economic organization, productivity, infrastructure, basic and social services.
• The important decisions made by national, regional, and local public institutions with respect to projects like Ixiamas-San Buenaventura will affect the future of the northern region of La Paz. In order for these decisions to be informed, positive, included in a coherent process of territorial planning, and above all carried out while respecting the rights of the regional population, it is necessary to use a tool to facilitate the process. One of these tools is the Strategic Environmental Assessment.

What is the Strategic Environmental Assessment?

• The Strategic Environmental Assessment is a participatory process that facilitates territorial planning through the evaluation of environmental and social factors related to the potential investments in economic infrastructure and agro-industry (public and private) and extractive activities (fossil fuel extraction, mining, hydroelectric dams, etc.) that will follow a project. In this case, the Strategic Environmental Assessment takes into consideration future investments in the northern region of La Paz and their potential indirect and cumulative impacts in the long term.
• At the end of this process, the result is a socio-environmental management plan that includes recommendations (which should be binding) and a committed budget to address the negative, indirect, cumulative, and/or synergistic impacts related to potential investments in economic infrastructure, agribusiness, and extractive industries in the region.

What is the difference between the road’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the Strategic Environmental Assessment?

• The road’s Environmental Impact Assessment only focuses on the direct impacts of road construction in the short term,
• while the Strategic Environmental Assessment focuses on the indirect, cumulative, and/or synergistic impacts from potential investments in economic infrastructure and agro-industry (public and private) and extractive activities (fossil fuel extraction, mining, hydroelectric dams, etc.) in the northern region of La Paz that strategically depend on the road.

The Strategic Environmental Assessment’s scope, objectives, priorities, and area of planning should be discussed in a formal space, set up as the Participatory Working Group for Sustainable Territorial Development, by all the stakeholders interested in the northern region of La Paz.

The Ixiamas-San Buenaventura road project in the context of projects in Bolivia’s Northern Corridor and the Peru-Brazil-Bolivia axis.

Territory of the indigenous Tacana People in Ixiamas and San Buenaventura