With low population numbers, Andean condors to benefit from new Peña Rajada municipal protected area in Bolivia’s Tarija department

In November 2024, a new municipal protected area was established in the municipality of Yunchará in Tarija, Bolivia, which will safeguard 55,237 acres (22,354 hectares) of high altitude ecosystems in the Bolivian Altiplano with the special aim to protect habitat for Andean condors (Vultur gryphus). 

This is a place where Andean condors soar through deep canyons , scavenging to collect food for their young who are nested in rocky outcrops throughout the canyon system and its vicinities.

Safeguarding the habitat of Andean condors, a species vulnerable to extinction

If you wake up at dawn in Peña Rajada you may be able to spot an Andean Condor majestically soaring across the horizon as the sun ascends from behind the mountains, wrapping the landscape in copper colored rays of light. On November 20th, 2024 the municipal government of Yunchará approved the creation of the Peña Rajada municipal protected area, a habitat where Condors currently thrive.

The Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) is one of the longest living bird species on Earth, however it has a very low reproduction rate. Condors lay only one egg once every two to three years and they reach sexual maturity at eight years, mating with only one individual partner for the rest of their life. 

In 2020, Andean condors were classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as vulnerable to extinction. The primary threats this species faces are loss of habitat and the bird’s ingestion of poisonous baits. In 2021 thirty five Condor cadavers were found in Bolivia’s department of Tarija, presumed to have died from poisoned bait. It is estimated that today in Bolivia, there are no more than 1,388 Andean condor individuals.

Peña Rajada: a safe habitat for Andean biodiversity

Condors have found a safe home in the Peña Rajada canyons. A calm habitat, without human alteration is fundamental for the survival and reproduction of this species. In addition to Condors, the Peña Rajada municipal protected area is home to Andean foxes (Lycalopex culpaeus), pumas (Puma concolor) and vicuña (Lama vicugna) as well as a diversity of plant species as well as interesting archeological and paleontological sites. 

PROMETA alongside the municipal government of Yunchará supported studies regarding the population of Condors in the area, generated technical documents that justified the area’s protection, and collaboratively coordinated with local communities in Yunchará. Among other conservation initiatives in the region, PROMETA supported the creation of two protected areas in the municipalities of Tupiza and Cotagaita, in Bolivia’s department of Potosí, that have helped to safeguard the Guanaco (Lama guanicoe), a species at risk of extinction, in Bolivia. 

Peña Rajada serves as a crucial space for establishing a municipal protected area. For Rodrigo Ayala, the executive director of PROMETA, the establishment of Peña Rajada is a dream come true which allows “for the reproduction and conservation of the Andean Condor, while allowing for the conservation of other species like the puma and vicuña.” AAF Program Officer Peter Oesterling recently visited Peña Rajada with PROMETA and observed this unique area firsthand, “Peña Rajada’s creation contributes to a growing complex of protected areas in the Altiplano of Southern Bolivia, where it fills a gap in connectivity between the Sama National Reserve and the Pampa Tholar de las Vicuñas municipal protected area. By passing through this area, one can easily see how these protected areas complement each other, reinforcing protection for Andean flora and fauna across diverse topographic features as well as securing important ecosystem services for nearby communities in an expansive landscape.”

In addition to the astonishing present day natural diversity of the Peña Rajada municipal protected area, the area also hosts fossil deposits that add to the potential to drive tourism in the area and benefit local communities. At the same time, the presence of a healthy Vicuña population will provide the area’s communities with an additional source of income via the sustainable harvesting of wool fiber for textile weaving. 

Acknowledgements: 

The establishment of the Peña Rajada municipal protected area was made possible by the municipal government of Yunchará. Technical support for the establishment was provided by PROMETA with the financial support of the Andes Amazon Fund. 

Puedes leer más sobre el establecimiento aquí.