Bolivia Guide
The Amazon
Reserva de Biosfera y Territorio Indígena Pilon Lajas
Just south of Rurrenabaque, some four thousand square kilometres of rainforest between the Río Beni and the road south to La Paz are now protected by the Reserva de Biosfera y Territorio Indígena Pilon Lajas. Though threatened by loggers and migrant settlers along the road that marks its eastern boundary, the rainforests of Pilon Lajas, like those of Parque Nacional Madidi, are exceptionally biodiverse and survive in a largely pristine state. Declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977, the reserve protects 642 species of flora, 499 species of bird and 170 species of fish. Pilon Lajas is also home to a small population of indigenous Mosetén, T'simane and Tacana communities, spread out along the length the Río Quiquibey, which runs through the centre of the reserve.