SDD
P.L. Ibisch & G. Mérida)

Results from recent research show that Bolivia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. Due to the fact that it is one of the least researched countries in the continent, for a long time Bolivia's biological diversity has been underestimated. In spite of advances made in recent research, knowledge is still insufficient and only partial; however, the existing information and the interpretation of the available data reveáis and underlines the importance of Bolivian biodiversity, at both the national and the international level.

Biodiversity is a scientific concept that describes the variability of everything biological. Basically it can be measured and seen as the number of biological elements that coexist in certain dimensions of time and space (Nieder et al. 1998). These elements are organized in a hierarchical and systematic way. Perhaps the most identifiable systems are ecosystems, species, and populations. Variations in the biological elements are recognized very easily, for example, at the level of genes, individuals, species, and communities/ecosystems. In the case of more complex biological systems "their biodiversity" includes the processes that maintain and change them. Species diversity includes the processes of speciation, population interactions, extinction, etc. Ecosystem diversity includes the ecological processes and the interaction between different species.

Biodiversity conservation is any human activity that looks to maintain biodiversity including all levels of hierarchy of the biological elements and the processes that influence them and/or link them. Conservation is not synonymous with protection; rather, conservation is characterized by a spectrum of tools and methods; from the strict protection of áreas where minimum human activity is wanted, to the active management of áreas or resources with an end to achieving the perpetual use of a resource, without putting at risk the necessities of future generations. An ideal usage of this type is called sustainable use. Sustainable development, for example, can be defined as the desire to improve the well being of the human population without compromising the natural resources of future generations. Therefore biodiversity conservation is a pillar, or at least, a key instrument in sustainable development. If conservation is recognized as part of sustainable development, its justification is mainly utilitarian and anthropocentric. However, this does not mean that it cannot also have an ethic, moral or scientific motivation.

The Bolivian territory still covers vast áreas of undisturbed ecosystems. If we are realistic, we must recognize that the good, or even very good, state of conservation of these ecosystems is not a result of conservation efforts, but rather the consequence of the lack of intense and unsustain-able development activities in several remote áreas. The integrity of many of the ecosystems is related to a population density much lower than in the majority of tropical countries, along with poor road access, and a lack of traditional economic sector investment. Up till now man has only impacted biodiversity in some áreas that, for historical reasons, have been occupied and utilized for a long time. Days, population growth and the increasing economic integration of the country - which, without a doubt, is a national necessity for achieving adequate human develop¬ment - increase the pressure on natural resources in almost the whole territory, but especially in the áreas still less affected.

Although biological resources are traditionally classified as renewable, it must be recognized that some key elements of biodiversity can be irreversibly lost. If a plant or bird species, exclusive to Bolivia, becomes extinct there is no way to recupérate it. If a lot of species no longer form part of the ecosystems, the latter can change functions essential for their maintenance and that of the components that depend on them, thus breaking the existing ecological balance. As a consequence the natural services and products that benefit man would cease to exist.

Conservation science and actions were born in the 1980s, based on more specific and less integral concepts and efforts that have their origins in the 19th century. The modern movement of conservation culminated in the Earth Summit, United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) in Río de Janeiro - Brazil; based on this historical conference the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was signed on the 5th of June 1992. This Convention became valid on the 29th of December 1993. This is the first time that the inherent valué of biodiversity and the need to promote its conservation has been recognized in a legally valid Convention at an international level. However, it is also the first international environmental Convention with a strong political-social component, recognizing the valué of local traditional knowledge, the need to equally divide the benefits derived from the use of the biological resources, and the sovereign right of the State to manage its own resources. On recognizing the economic valué of the components of biodiversity, the CBD presented the idea that the developing countries, which have the richest biology on the planet, can use this competitive advantage to insert themselves into the international market and improve the quality of life of their inhabitants. To this end, the Convention promotes the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.