LOS YUNGAS, Bolivia, August 8 (Portal) – Bolivia’s decision to open an alternative route to its historic ‘Death Road’ – a serpentine dirt road across the towering Andean hills known for their deadly cliffs – has prompted a resurgence of the Wildlife ran the area, according to an environmental group.
The route was once a major road used by heavy trucks that connected Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, to the country’s Amazon rainforest. But its lethality earned it the nickname “Death Road.” Between 1999 and 2003, hundreds of Bolivians died trying to cross it.
By 2007, Bolivia opened an alternative route, with the original road being primarily an attraction for cyclists. This has not only saved lives but also benefited nature, according to a new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
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“When this road was operational, wildlife was affected by pollution from vehicles, noise and dust,” said Maria Viscarra, a biologist involved in the study.
A competitor runs on the ‘Death Road’ from Yolosa to Chuspipata during the Bolivia Sky Race, near La Paz, Bolivia July 29, 2018. Portal/David Mercado
The WCS set 35 camera traps along the route and found 16 species of mammals and 94 species of wild birds.
“No longer do heavy goods vehicles drive through this street today. Biodiversity has returned to the area and birds like hummingbirds, toucans and parrots can be seen,” said Guido Ayala, biologist at WCS.
Although the road is no longer used by many motorists, the route is still dotted with crosses to commemorate those who died along the way.
“It’s so nice that we have a place near (capital) La Paz, about 50 minutes away, where you can see nature in a beautiful way,” Ayala added.
(History is refiled to correct Wildlife Conservation Society initials to WCS from WCF in paragraph 6.)
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Portal TV coverage in Los Yungas, Bolivia; Editing by Diane Craft
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