In commemoration of the International Day for Biological Diversity, held 22nd May in the Tiwanacu room of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Environmental Ministry gave a special recognition to the Matusha Aidha Association, of the Tacana indigenous land, for their contribution to sustainable management of natural resources and biodiversity conservation. This recognition is specially for the contribution of the association to the management of spectacled caiman (Caiman yacare). It is a fundamental experience for the National Programme for Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Spectacled Caiman because of the scientific contributions, organizational and technical capacity building and its achievements in marketing both skins and meat. Caiman management was proposed as an alternative to illegal harvesting and has also established a control strategy for the water bodies of the Tacana indigenous land.
For 14 years, since 2001, and with support from WCS, several studies on the biology and ecology of the species were carried out, aswell as seven harvests (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014) implementing the guidelines established by the management plan and the annual harvest quota defined in Bolivian legislation. Specific indicators used to monitor harvests (harvest sites, sex, average height, weight and invested effort) show that the caiman populations have been stable over the years and that their use is sustainable. The newly created partnerships with Gustu restaurant in La Paz for the meat, and the prestigious Italian fashion house Gucci, for the skins, open major prospects for Matusha Aidha, ensuring fair markets and significant income for the families and communities involved, and at the same time conserving wildlife and their habitats.
For the members of the Matusha Aidha Association and CIPTA, the Tacana indigenous territorial organization, this award has been given in recognition of a job well done, consistent with a philosophy of life that is based on respect for nature, and that demonstrates that it is possible to reconcile conservation with human well being.