Chalalán Albergue Ecológico (Chalalán Eco-lodge) serves as a model for community-based ecotourism in Bolivia, as an example of the effectiveness of this low-impact commercial activity in bringing benefits to local communities and in conserving vital biological diversity. Supported by the Inter-American Development Bank and Conservation International, who Founded the initiative with grants totaling almost USD 1.5 million in 1994, the project has successfully demonstrated its long-term financial viability and high level of community ownership.

Located in the 1.89 million-hectare Madidi Protected Area in northern Bolivia, the Chalalan initiative benefits the remote indigenous community of San #_é de Uchupiamonas, which sustainably conserves around 210,000 hectares of land as their Tierra Comunitaria de Orígen. The lodge’s visitors are able to walk along trails covering 30 kilometers of biologically diverse forest within 10,000 ha of community land reserved for ecotourism activities.

 

Key Facts 

Equator Prize Winner: 2008

Founded: 1992

Location: upper Amazon River basin, northern Bolivia

Beneficiaries: 3,700 people

Biodiversity: 1,895,740 hectares of Madidi Protected Area

 

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