poster1 - the chalalan bolivia.ai

FOTO: FUNDACIÓN ALBATROS MEDIA
Chalalán Effect and Communitybased Sustainable Ecosystem
Management (SEM), Bolivia
Chalalán Ecolodge is a community-based business offering a wide array of programs and activities for recreation
and in-depth learning about the rainforest, under the guidance of local indigenous people. The Chalalán Company
comprises 74 families, 42 are direct beneficiaries of the company’s earnings. Located in Madidi National Park, the
project has adopted the indigenous building style using locally available materials. The lodge has a sewage management system that uses natural processes; a large portion of electricity used in the lodge is generated by solar
panels, minimizing the use of fossil fuels.
Apart from direct transfers made by Chalalán as donations and/or contributions, the community profits from the
sale of goods and services to the lodge. The level of conservation achieved in the lodge’s area of influence, is linked
to the social and economic impact exerted by the company on the community’s population. Thanks to conservation
initiatives, reintroduction of species such as the black spider monkey, the white lipped peccary, and other threatened mammals has been possible.
The community business generates other benefits. For example, the business played a key role in attaining recognition of community land rights and plays a leading role in the economic planning of the territory.
Source: Latin America and the Caribbean, a Biodiversity Super Power, UNDP, 2010
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