Communities and Sectors Affected by Fires Demand Repeal of Laws Promoting Burnings

 Bolivia Faces Alarming Destruction of Rural Areas and Forests Due to 'Chaqueo', Warns Jubileo Foundation

Bolivia is suffering from alarming destruction of its rural territories and forests, caused by the practice of 'chaqueo' (slash-and-burn farming), primarily driven by agricultural and livestock expansion, warned the Jubileo Foundation.

The extractivist model, supported by policies and laws that prioritize short-term growth, is putting the environmental balance, the health of our communities, and the future of coming generations at serious risk, concluded residents and producers from the national Amazon region.

During the meeting, communities from Beni and other affected regions of the country demanded that national and departmental authorities repeal laws and other related regulations “that encourage the practice of 'chaqueo', an activity causing massive forest destruction, air and water source pollution, the displacement of peoples and communities, and the acceleration of climate change.”

The Jubileo Foundation pointed out that laws such as Law 741 and others that promote the use of fire for agricultural expansion have facilitated these destructive practices.

“It is urgent that authorities take responsibility and repeal these laws that continue to damage the environment and endanger the health and well-being of Bolivians,” they emphasized.

The consequences of these fires are devastating: air pollution has reached critical levels. The destruction of forests not only irreversibly threatens and reduces biodiversity but also worsens climate change, contributing to rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and other extreme weather events affecting the country, they stressed.

Demanded Measures

The communities affected by the fires indicated six key points that must be addressed to prevent fires from becoming a chronic issue in the country. The demands include:

    Declaration of a national disaster.

    Immediate repeal of laws and other related regulations that promote 'chaqueo' and burnings in rural areas.

    Implementation of sustainable policies that promote fire-free agricultural practices that respect the environment.

    Immediate and effective action by national and departmental authorities to protect ecosystems and affected communities.

    Compensation for communities affected by the loss of their natural resources and the health damage caused by air pollution.

    Establishment of legal and reparative responsibilities for the destruction of ecosystems and the impact on peoples and communities.

Jubileo noted that if immediate measures are not taken, the destruction of forests and lands will be irreversible. Communities in Beni and other regions of the country, which depend directly on the land for their livelihoods, face an uncertain future where environmental degradation translates into poverty, forced migration, and a loss of quality of life.

“The long-term effects of these fires will resonate throughout Bolivia, endangering the country’s food security and ecological stability,” the institution emphasized.

For Lithium: Accidental Partnership Contract Signed with Uranium One; Arce Urges Assembly to Speed Up Approval

 Luis Arce, the president of the country, announced the signing of an accidental partnership contract for the development of a direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant in the Salar de Uyuni with the Russian company Uranium One Group.

The head of state urged the Legislative Assembly to expedite the approval of this contract.

"Once approved, the investments will be secured, and the commitment to produce 14,000 tons of lithium carbonate in 30 months will be fulfilled," Arce stated.

The president emphasized that lithium industrialization will benefit both Potosí and the country as a whole.

On December 13, 2023, Uranium One Group signed an agreement with Bolivian Lithium Deposits (YLB) to invest $450 million in the establishment of a semi-industrial-scale pilot plant using DLE technology in Salar de Uyuni, Potosí, with a production capacity of up to 14,000 tons per year.

The agreement is valid for two years and will allow production to generate foreign currency in the medium term, along with technical studies aimed at projecting an industrial plant with greater production capacity.

The implementation of this contract depends on the approval of the Legislative Assembly, Arce reiterated.

Announcement of Chinese Lithium Firm’s Arrival Amid YLB's Turmoil

 Citic Gouan is set to sign a contract with the Bolivian state company, which must be approved by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly. Concerns arise over constant changes in YLB and the lack of state vision.

Sources close to the Bolivian Lithium Deposits company (YLB) have announced the arrival of a large delegation from China’s Citic Gouan, which has reportedly given the green light to a feasibility study for the installation of a direct lithium extraction (DLE) industrial plant in northern Salar de Uyuni.

The announcement comes amid the unexpected replacement of YLB’s president, Karla Calderón, by Omar Alarcón on September 2, making him the eighth president of the state company in seven years, during which time there have been controversial management issues related to the government’s largest industrialization effort under Luis Arce’s administration.

Some analysts have described Calderón’s term as “the most productive” compared to previous executives, pointing to her efforts in denouncing irregularities, trying to realign the lithium carbonate production project, and negotiating with Citic Gouan.

Lithium economy expert Óscar Vargas expressed surprise over Calderón’s replacement, particularly because the contract with the Chinese company would be historic for the country. “A few weeks ago, she certified Citic Gouan’s feasibility studies, which feature a very novel liquid membrane technology that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world and will be used for the first time,” he said.

According to Vargas, this technology will allow for the production of 24,000 tons of lithium through selective lithium-ion membranes, representing cutting-edge nanotechnology that China will transfer to Bolivia via patents and intellectual property rights.

“Bolivia’s lithium has 17 times more magnesium than lithium, making extraction expensive due to the lack of suitable technology. Even the pool technologies have taken 12 years to develop. Citic Gouan has experience with these selective membranes since it has four projects in China,” he added.

He further explained that the technology is based on liquid membrane electrodialysis, which recovers lithium from brines with a high magnesium-lithium ratio. “However, this contract still needs to be approved by the Legislative Assembly, as there is currently only an agreement,” Vargas clarified.

Chain of Setbacks Gonzalo Mondaca, associate researcher at Bolivia’s Documentation and Information Center (Cedib), highlighted that the constant changes in YLB’s leadership reveal the weaknesses in the conception of the lithium industrialization project, as so far only exploitation exists.

He cited the example of the first executive manager, Juan Carlos Montenegro (who passed away on April 24), who worked under the former Mining Minister and National Manager of Evaporitic Resources, Alberto Echazú, who was accused and arrested for causing Bs 425 million in financial damage. Echazú disbanded the Scientific Committee formed in 2008, which had developed technology adapted to the Uyuni salt flats that had “some viability.”

“Echazú did manage to build the potassium chloride plant and nearly completed the pilot phase, which was finished by Montenegro. We had pilot plants for potassium chloride, lithium carbonate, cathode materials, and batteries. By 2017, Bolivia was a leader in Latin America in lithium industrialization development, but it stopped there,” Mondaca said.

He emphasized that Montenegro was instrumental in the creation of YLB, freeing lithium from the bureaucracy of the Bolivian Mining Corporation (Comibol) and establishing a partnership with the German company ACI Systems, which failed due to a lack of social consultation with groups like the Potosí Civic Committee (Compcipo).

“After Montenegro, all managers have had smaller roles without a long-term vision. Engineer Calderón, like Montenegro, had more experience in chemistry and chemical processes. But she also faced many challenges, and now she’s being replaced, something likely tied to changes in the trusted personnel of former minister Franklin Molina,” Mondaca concluded.

The Fexco 2024 concludes by breaking records in visits and economic activity.

 The International Fair and Exhibition of Cochabamba (Fexco) concluded yesterday after 11 days of constant and intense activity. Preliminary figures indicate that all records established in previous events were broken. Companies made offers and promotions for the closing.

Alberto Arze, General Manager of Fexco, described the largest business event in the department as successful. Although the official and final report is still pending, as of yesterday at noon, the following numbers were recorded: 370,000 visitors, 1,500 exhibitors, and $175 million in economic activity.

"Our visitor target was surpassed, the doors will be closed from 9:00 p.m. today (yesterday) so that we can carry out the draw for a vehicle and a motorcycle. All the objectives set out were achieved as planned, both in the number of exhibitors and visitors. This was the Fexco of records," said Arze.

According to Arze, the population responded to the investments made, which will serve for the improvement of Cochabamba. "Great investments, effort, and the unity of all, that was Fexco," he added.

"The business round reached $90 million, a total success. All the figures we set for ourselves have been surpassed, and also the challenges we set for ourselves such as logistics, avoiding queues, we had a large number of people, but not the queues like last year," he noted.

He highlighted that the concerts had massive attendance, but with a lot of security, which was the objective of each social event.

Closing offers

Whole families came to Fexco to participate in the last day of the fair where a variety of offers and promotions were made.

Clothing, food products, and medicinal products were displayed at each booth so that visitors could take advantage of the promotions.

The beauty of the hostesses and the convincing power of the exhibitors did not allow anyone to leave empty-handed.

Families showed their satisfaction and look forward to innovations for the following year.

Fexco 2025

The General Manager of Fexco indicated that they will be attentive to the tender called by the Municipal Autonomous Government of Cochabamba for long-term administration.

"The contract we have as the Chamber of Industry, Commerce, and Services of Cochabamba (ICAM) ends on June 30, and we will be ready to present ourselves for the tender and God willing to take charge of the administration in the coming years," he stated.

Three individuals have been apprehended in the case of the lithium pools, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

 So far, three individuals have been apprehended in the investigation into the industrial evaporation pools of Bolivian Lithium Deposits (YLB), reported Cesar Siles, the Attorney General of the State, on Tuesday.

"Not only is Mr. Luis Arberto Echazú (former Minister of Mining and former national manager of Evaporitic Resources) apprehended, but three individuals have been apprehended so far in this investigation," he said.

On April 18, the executive president of YLB, Karla Calderón, filed a formal complaint with the Public Ministry for the alleged commission of crimes including damaging contracts to the state, breach of duties, uneconomic conduct, and breach of contracts due to an alleged economic damage of more than Bs 425 million.

The Prosecutor's Office decided to participate in this criminal process, according to Siles, due to the "serious economic damage to the state" and because they are "serious acts of corruption."

He pointed out that, in general terms, three incidents are being investigated: poorly elaborated or designed technical specifications, poorly executed supervision or oversight of contract execution, and the lack of maintenance on the 18 pools.

He added that a commission of three prosecutors is now investigating the case after a complaint with at least 4,020 attached pages was admitted.

He confirmed that there are 12 suspects in this investigative process and that arrest warrants have already been issued against all of them.

According to Siles, through requests made to the Immigration Department, it was established that "they all have significant and recent migratory flow," representing a flight risk, and furthermore, none of them, at least at this moment, has a stable or fixed job.

Evo Morales confesses that before they paid him first-class tickets and now they send him private planes.

Evo returned from Venezuela and didn't hold back. First, he described it as a racist act to criticize him for traveling on private flights, like his colleague Loza going to see a Real Madrid match, and then he attacked a minister.

Former president Evo Morales described it as an act of racism to question him for traveling on private planes, and admitted that he receives invitations from left-wing governments that used to send him in business class alongside "old men and women full of rings" and now they put him on fully paid private planes, "to safeguard his security."

"I deeply regret those questions about why Evo travels on a private plane. I want the Bolivian population to know that my first invitation to Europe was in 1989, all expenses paid. Then I had many others, as a leader I traveled to four continents, all expenses paid. Once the Government of Portugal invited me to a three-day conference and in the end the organizing team gave me 600 dollars as an allowance. I was scared, I didn't want to receive it. I got scared. They insisted. I brought that money and accounted for it to the special federation of workers of the Tropic of Cochabamba," said Evo Morales this Sunday.

He admitted that for subsequent invitations "they sent business class tickets, there only old men and women full of rings and jewelry traveled. As time goes by, now the former president receives invitations and they send him private planes. I ask Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil or Peru, how much do they pay? And they respond to me that they send a plane for security reasons."

Therefore, he clarified that these comments against him have a "racist" tint. "Leonardo Loza (MAS Senator and coca grower like him) goes to see a match in Europe and a scandal is created. Racism, racism, racism. They pay me private planes, and another scandal."

As retaliation, the former president sent a message and asked the Minister of Public Works, Édgar Montaño, former deputy: "If he is honest, let him say it. Two years ago, at around 6:00 in the morning in the La Coronilla area, he only arrived in his car, his former driver whom they fired, let him publicly say how much money he received. If he is honest, he knows. That driver will speak out, anytime he will tell the truth. Hopefully they don't repress him, the minister knows what we are talking about."

He demanded Minister Montaño to execute the guarantee bonds for the execution of sections in the Tropic of Cochabamba, and he went on: "because that has a cost. He said that we need to investigate, let's investigate, but thoroughly."

He then insisted that he feels like a victim of a racist act. "How can an indigenous person travel on a private plane, how can an indigenous person go to see a match in Europe. Pure racism. I have two trips, one to Brazil and one to Paraguay, and for both they will send private planes," he asserted. "Once they refused to sell jet fuel to a plane, dogs everywhere, you can't imagine the telephone argument I had."

He also complained about entering with his passport, "On Saturday I got angry, and mind you, I have a diplomatic document, but still I told them to check, they got scared. I realized that a guy was taking a picture of me, I also took one of him. I commented on this at a meeting outside the country and former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa told me that they shouldn't control me because I am a former president. They don't understand what's going on in Bolivia."

Regarding the meeting in Caracas, Morales recounted that "there were (representatives from) more than 60 countries, people convinced in this anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist struggle. Commander Nicolás Maduro, following in the footsteps of Hugo Chávez and consolidating the revolution in Venezuela. He reported that we must continue resisting, between last year and this year there were five assassination attempts, interventionism by the US, I was impressed."

The government prepares a photography and TikTok contest among census takers to reward their experience.

 This Sunday, the Minister of Planning, Sergio Cusicanqui, shared some good news. In the upcoming days, a photography and TikTok contest will be launched aimed at volunteer census takers. "We will recognize and reward the most creative works that reflect the work done during the census day," he said.

"Our deep gratitude and pride towards the hundreds of thousands of volunteer census takers who traveled throughout the country to collect important information for our development and future," he expressed, and his words were also reflected in the bulletin that the Vice Ministry of Communication began to circulate.

The commitment of our census takers has been recognized by the entire Bolivian people, and we want to hear about your experiences and anecdotes from the census day. Therefore, we will launch a contest in which you can share your experiences through photographs or TikToks. This is what the preview of the invitation says, as soon the channels through which to send the photos and videos will be announced.

"We invite you to be part of this exciting contest that will allow us to learn the story of each of our heroes," concludes the suggestive preview of the call.