Deforestation in the Eastern Lowlands of Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Problems

• Widespread Deforestation

  The eastern lowlands of Santa Cruz have undergone severe deforestation, driven largely by agricultural expansion linked to the Tierras Bajas project — formally the World Bank-backed Eastern Lowlands Natural Resource Management and Agricultural Production Project, approved in 1990. The project promoted agricultural production, infrastructure and export-oriented agriculture, particularly soybean farming, alongside land-use planning and natural-resource-management components; agricultural expansion in the area subsequently drove substantial forest conversion. Within the mapped Tierras Bajas hotspot area, satellite imagery shows that by 2003 almost the entire landscape had been converted to cropland and pasture. Santa Cruz department as a whole now accounts for roughly 79% of Bolivia's cumulative forest loss since 1956, according to Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza (FAN).

• Biodiversity Loss

  The conversion of forest to agricultural land has reduced and fragmented habitat for native species in the Tierras Bajas area, increasing pressure on local biodiversity. WWF Bolivia and other conservation organizations identify deforestation as a major driver of biodiversity loss across Bolivia's lowlands. Habitat fragmentation makes it harder for wildlife to find food, mates, and shelter, and reduces the resilience of local ecosystems to climate fluctuations and disease outbreaks. This also threatens ecosystem services that matter for nearby communities, including pollination, water purification, and soil fertility.

• Soil Degradation and Erosion

  Converting forest to agricultural land in the Tierras Bajas area typically involves heavy machinery and increased use of agrochemicals, which can affect soil structure and nutrient content. Research on land-use change in Bolivia's eastern lowlands links agricultural expansion in this region to declining soil quality and erosion. Without forest cover, exposed soils become more susceptible to erosion by wind and water, which can contribute to sedimentation in nearby rivers and streams and affect long-term agricultural productivity.

• Water Pollution and Resource Depletion

  Agricultural runoff, pesticide and fertilizer use, and changing land cover can affect water quality and availability — a pattern documented more broadly across Bolivia's agricultural lowlands. Specific, hotspot-level data on water depletion or contamination in the Tierras Bajas area is limited, but the general mechanism, intensive agriculture increasing pressure on local water resources, is well established for the wider region.

• Climate Change Vulnerability

  Continued deforestation reduces the region's capacity to sequester carbon and diminishes the ability of local ecosystems to adapt to changing climatic conditions. Agricultural systems in the area rely on stable weather patterns, so this vulnerability is particularly relevant for crop production. Bolivia's eastern lowlands, including Santa Cruz, have also experienced severe wildfire seasons — most notably in 2019 — which further reduced forest cover and carbon storage capacity..