Loma Santa, a newly established Indigenous protected area spanning an area the size of the Hawaiian island of Maui, sits at the heart of the T’simane Forest, an expanse of the Amazon in Bolivia. For years, loggers plundered this forest for its prized mahogany. But Loma Santa was also a place of sanctuary — a refuge where, more than a century earlier, Indigenous people fled from enslavement by rubber barons and landowners. For their descendants today, this swath of the Bolivian Amazon is now a place of peace, natural abundance and culture importance. On Aug. 19 this year, the Bolivian government officially declared Loma Santa a new Indigenous protected area, spanning 198,778 hectares (491,191 acres). The official inauguration was held in the Indigenous community of Monte Grande del Apere, which forms part of the Multiethnic Indigenous Territory in the municipality of San Ignacio de Moxos. Bernardo Muiba, president of the Subcentral of Indigenous Councils of the Multiethnic Indigenous Territory, told Mongabay Latam that the Loma Santa Indigenous Conservation Area is a leading example of Indigenous territorial governance and participatory conservation. Muiba said this protected area embodies a harmonious integration of nature and culture, driven by the active participation of local Indigenous groups: the Mojeño-Trinitario, Mojeño-Ignaciano, T’simane, Yuracaré and Movima peoples. Such integration means adapting to the specific characteristics of the region to safeguard both the natural and cultural wealth of the Bolivian Amazon. A view of the Loma Santa Indigenous Conservation Area, showing the Apere River. Image courtesy of ORÉ.…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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