Mining Deregulation and Rising Tensions
Activists are increasingly alarmed by the deregulation of Bolivia's mining sector.
In May, the Paz administration signed an agreement with mining cooperatives, lifting barriers to operating in protected areas and Indigenous lands.
In April, a ministerial resolution reduced legal requirements for nearly 4,000 non-compliant mining operations.
Gold mining, fueled by lax regulations and record global prices, was already expanding across Bolivia's tropical lowlands, contaminating Indigenous territory with mercury and encroaching on national parks.
The recent deals will create a complete lack of control over mining in Indigenous territories and protected areas, Alipaz said.
Government deference to mining cooperatives is not new; they have long leveraged political representation. With a history of organizing national road blockades, the sector holds immense sway.
"The government is afraid because it doesn't want to confront the miners," Alipaz said.
Nelly Coca, a community leader from the Tariquía national reserve, spent last Christmas and New Year blocking a Brazilian hydrocarbons company, Petrobras, from entering the reserve.
Police forcibly dismantled the blockade, and Petrobras initiated legal proceedings against Coca and 16 other activists.
Petrobras Bolivia stated it has held an environmental license for the project since July 2025 and complies with all legal requirements.
Hydrocarbon activity in Tariquía has been disputed since Evo Morales opened protected areas to oil and gas extraction in 2015.
Coca feels betrayed by President Paz, who as mayor of Tarija had pledged to protect the reserve. "Now he's the chief architect of its destruction," she said.
