© Tarapari.

The Chulumani Conservation Garden is one component of an integrated watershed management project being developed by La Paz on Foot and focused on environmental education and ecotourism in the Central Andes. The Conservation Garden has been in development since 2004, when La Paz on Foot acquired a 6000m2 property in the capital of the province of South Yungas. When the property was acquired, it was an overgrown coca, coffee and citrus farm with a dilapidated house. In the past three years, the house and gardens have been renovated and are currently being developed as an educational resource for public and private schools in the area.

Chulumani is the centre of Bolivia’s traditional coca growing region. While a large part of the coca produced in the region is destined for traditional uses, increased use of pesticides, irrigation and fire has a major impact on soils, water, biodiversity and economy (TROPICO, 2005). The Chulumani Conservation Garden will demonstrate alternative and complementary practices to current coca production, highlighting lower-impact crops such as native tubers, for example walusa (Xanthosoma spp.) and racacha (Arracacia xanthorrhiza), alternative technologies such as vermiculture and green manures, while showcasing regional biodiversity, principally butterfly, bird and orchid species.