Bolivia Environment - 2024

Environment - current issues

the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands,

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Climate

varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

Land use

agricultural land: 34.3% (2018 est.)

arable land: 3.6% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 30.5% (2018 est.)

forest: 52.5% (2018 est.)

other: 13.2% (2018 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 71.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

0.33% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from coal

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Air pollutants

particulate matter emissions: 25.23 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions: 21.61 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions: 21.01 megatons (2020 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 2,219,052 tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually: 268,727 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 12.1% (2015 est.)

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s): Lago Titicaca (shared with Peru) - 8,030 sq km

salt water lake(s): Lago Poopo - 1,340 sq km

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 sq km), Paraná (2,582,704 sq km)

Major aquifers

Amazon Basin

Total water withdrawal

municipal: 140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural: 1.92 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources

574 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)