In northern La Paz, indigenous territories have been established alongside or within protected areas such as Madidi, Pilon Lajas, and Apolobamba. They complement the natural values and increase opportunities for conservation and sustainable development. Four of these territories partially or completely overlap with Madidi National Park (San José de Uchupiamonas, Tacana I, Lecos Apolo and Lecos Larecaja), and two are located in the buffer zone (Tacana II and Araonas). Pilon Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Indigenous Territory is an area which falls within two land categories: Indigenous Territory and Protected Area; and is adjacent to the Mosetene Indigenous Territory. The Marca Cololo Copacabana Antaquilla TCO is situated in the interior of the Apolobamba protected area, and parts of the Lecos Larecaja and Lecos Apolo TCO´s are also located inside Apolobamba, while the Marca Qamata indigenous territory is located in the external buffer zone.
Indigenous peoples, among them Tacanas, Araonas, Esse Ejjas, Tsimane, Mosetenes and Lecos, have maintained traditions of land use and natural resource management that are compatible with the objectives of biodiversity conservation, coinciding importantly with the protected areas in watershed maintenance, wildlife provisioning, conservation of areas for recollection and extraction of forest resources, and protection and valorization of cultural heritage.
WCS contributed to the development of valuable experiences in land management by indigenous organizations including technical and spatial planning processes of their territories, the co-management of protected areas and the implementation of natural resource management projects. Participatory methodologies were employed to conduct community diagnostics, land-use planning, activity planning and to define norms of access to and use of renewable natural resources.
In the landscape there are now 2,098,874 hectares of indigenous territories that are managed under sustainable development strategies and life plans:
- Sustainable development strategy of the Tacana I TCO. Over an area of 633,983 ha (CIPTA)
- Sustainable development strategy of the Tacana II TCO. Over an area of 342,931 ha (CIPTA).
- Lecos Apolo Life Plan. Over an area of 502,118 ha (CIPLA).
- Lecos Larecaja Life Plan. Over an area of 192.005 ha (PILCOL).
- Pilon Lajas Management and Life Plan. Over an area of 385,850 ha (SERNAP and CRTM).
- Marca Cololo Copacabana Antaquilla. Over an area of 39,987 ha.
Simultaneously, and within the framework of existing legislation, WCS has supported the indigenous organizations in the process of consolidating their territory, assisting in the legal establishment of 716,241 hectares now designated as territories for indigenous communities within the TCO Takana I, Lecos Larecaja and Lecos Apolo indigenous territories.