Indigenous Peoples and Conservation Organizations

The Sirionó in Bolivia 87
are also reports that some of the last remaining
blue-throated macaws (Ara glaucalularis) are
resident in part of the territory. The Sirionó are
definitely intrigued by this option but not at all
sure how to make it work. Residents have heard
about highland communities like Taquile in Lake
Titicaca getting into the tourist business without
destroying the quality of local life (Healy
1982/83), as well as similar efforts by lowland
Bolivian groups in Pilon Lajas, Madidi, Isiboro
Secure, and other national parks. Now there is
talk in Ibiato of family-run cabins that can be
rented to visitors.
Of course, this dream is rife among many peoples
worldwide—from Zimbabwe to the
Ecuadorian Amazon. Finding what it takes to
compete in this global market is probably beyond
the Sirionó for the moment since it would require
substantial outside resources to succeed.
Nonetheless the mere fact that the Sirionó have
heard of the possibility and are interested testifies
to the window that has opened up for international
conservation groups to play a larger role.
Only a dozen years ago much of what the Sirionó
knew about the rest of Bolivia, much less the
world, was filtered through the sensibilities of a
few North American missionaries. The Sirionó
now not only have a different set of missionaries,
in the form of NGO staff members, to bring in
the good news, they are plugged into their own
indigenous networks. Transnational confederations
like COICA and its national federation
members are available as transmission belts for
ideas and common concerns. The desire to
defend their land and use it sustainably is widely
shared among indigenous groups throughout the
region and offers an immense opportunity for
conservation groups willing to commit resources
to build partnerships that preserve biodiversity.
Certainly the Sirionó are willing to play their
part. They are about to make their first small
contribution to building a more comprehensive
database about the biodiversity of the Amazon
Corridor. Results of their wildlife census are
being written up for presentation at an international
conference on wildlife being held in
Paraguay, and Sirionó speakers will be there to
deliver the papers.
When they look around at the other participants
they will see many people of goodwill, some of
them scientists in jackets and ties who are concerned
about preventing global warming and preserving
the world’s genetic heritage. The Sirionó
will also see other representatives from indigenous
peoples who have been invited to this particular
table to tell what they know. When they
return home, the Sirionó participants are likely to
have a fuller view of how biodiversity and cultural
diversity overlap. And then they will look
around and take up the work again of trying to
make a living from the land.
They will examine the possibilities of sustainably
harvesting Paraguayan caiman in addition to the
collared peccary. The Sirionó sustainably harvested
this species before the sale of wild animals
was banned in Bolivia (Stearman and
Redford 1992). Recently the government made
an exception to the general prohibition in order
to explore the possibility of a controlled caiman
harvest from lowland Bolivia. The Sirionó
wanted to participate but were excluded from the
first trial harvest, which the government planned
with three large ranches. The Sirionó must be
ready to participate when and if the program
expands from the experimental stage.
Capybara may also be an excellent commodity.
They are abundant in the marshes of the proposed
TCO, and are considered a pest since they
can devour large tracts of rice or corn. Although
they are not hunted for their meat, which is said
to be bitter and carries the unfounded stigma of
being a carrier of leprosy and other diseases,
there is a demand for the skins, and the meat
could find other markets outside the Beni where
customs are different. Commercial feasibility is
enhanced by the capybara’s prolificity, and management
tools have been developed in Venezuela
for sustainably harvesting them. That task is
simplified by their concentration around open
water holes during the dry season, making them
easier to census.
The potential for marketing collared peccary
skins is also being explored. The skins are in
steady demand by luxury glove makers in Europe.
Presently the Sirionó waste their peccary skins
because they cannot reach this market. Doing so
will require a management plan for sustainable
harvests and certification from the IUCN and
other international organizations. Developing
some of the tools needed for this is at the core of
the wildlife censuses now under way.