Fossil fuel exports were meant to fund a revolutionary leftist agenda. But the state’s move to drill in Tariquía reserve has led to bitter conflict and diminishing returns
• Photographs by Marcelo Pérez del Carpio
In the far southeast of Bolivia, the cloud forest of the Tariquía reserve is accessible only by a few dirt paths that quickly become impassable with heavy rain. Local people say that, not so long ago, it could be a two-day horse ride just to communicate with the outside world.
That remoteness helped preserve Tariquía. But this protected area is now the frontline for Bolivia’s extractive activities, as the leftist government of Luis Arce scours the country for gas reserves that could keep its fossil-fuel model of development running – whether or not communities welcome drilling.
