Bolivia's Law No. 404: Recovery, Conservation, Sustainable Use and Management of High-Andean Wetlands (Bofedales)

Bolivia's Law No. 404, enacted on September 18, 2013, declares the recovery, conservation, sustainable use and management of bofedales a priority of the Plurinational State. Bofedales are high-Andean wetlands supporting native plant species, wildlife, domesticated animals and the communities that depend on these ecosystems. The law promotes research, identification and inventories of bofedales, together with dialogue between scientific knowledge and the traditional knowledge of Indigenous and peasant communities to develop water and soil management techniques. It assigns the Ministry of Environment and Water responsibility for promoting studies and recovery, conservation and specialized management programmes involving water harvesting, soil conservation and the preservation of forage plant species. It also provides for awareness-raising activities, the mobilization of domestic and international financing and intergovernmental agreements. Territorial governments are required to incorporate community demands concerning the sustainable use and conservation of bofedales into their development plans and annual operational plans. The law applies to territorial entities where these wetlands occur. It establishes public policy obligations and objectives but does not, by itself, demonstrate that environmental or productive outcomes have already been achieved.