Exploitation of Non-Renewable Resources in Protected Areas: Valuation of Protected Areas in Bolivia
Sazcha M. Olivera-Villarroel, Hakna Ferro-Azcona

Abstract
It is proposed a method for choosing between two critical options: 1) Petroleum exploitation or the creation of infra-structures versus 2) The conservation of natural protected areas. This conflict arises when short-term profits are confronted with conservation and protection of natural resources for present and future generations. Using methodologies of Nature valuation, Geographic Information Systems and space analysis; the method provides accurate data for decision-takers, allowing possible solutions for this conflict. The research took place in the Biological Corridor Amboró-Madidi in the Eastern Andes hotspot of Bolivia (including natural parks), one of the mega-diverse regions of the World and also one of the most promising Bolivian areas in regard to oilmining. Our main objective is focused on an inicial economic value (IEV) for the resource “Natural Protected Area” (NPA) in Bolivia. This IEV is useful when an economic compensation is aimed at due to oil-mining priorities. It can also provide valuable criteria for designing environmental policies and taking decisions since it involves information about the economic amount needed as a compensation for all the damage inflicted to a NPA. From an environmental standpoint, the lack of considering economic values has been a limiting factor in the environmental management of protected territories, in this case those exposed to exploitatin of a non-renewable resource.

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