Founded in 1996, Asociación Armonía quickly became Bolivia’s most effective conservation organization, working with local communities to protect the country’s wildlands and wildlife.
We are a not-for-profit and non-governmental organization with 14 conservation programs across the country that protect Bolivia’s natural heritage while supporting local communities.
Armonía means Harmony in Spanish: we strive to create harmony between nature and people.
Our mission:
To conserve Bolivia’s birds and their habitats by empowering local people
Our commitment:
To prevent extinctions in the wild
To conserve the sites and habitats important for birds and other biodiversity
To sustain vital ecological systems and ensure sustainable use of natural resources
To alleviate poverty by creating alternative livelihoods and improved living standards
Armonía was founded because no organization existed to save Bolivia’s most threatened birds from extinction, while encouraging local people to take action to conserve their natural heritage.
Our greatest success is engaging and empowering local communities and indigenous peoples – from the Andes to the Amazon. We have years of experience coupling environmental protection and raising awareness, with improved livelihoods and living standards for the Bolivian people.
Bolivia is one of the poorest nations in South America, struggling with a weak economy and rapid population growth. This means the country is seeking ways to develop quickly.
Recent development centered around global precedents, such as production of petroleum products, large scale farming and ranching, and overuse of natural resources such as timber.
But there is another, more modern movement in Bolivia trying to follow a sustainable path.
Unfortunately, the reference base for this kind of cultural growth is very weak. Many Bolivians are neither aware that they live in one of the world’s biologically-richest countries, nor that this may offer economic benefits.
This is why raising environmental awareness and creating alternative livelihoods for our people is central to our mission.
We thank our international partners and individual donors for the conservation achievements in Bolivia – we cannot save threatened species or support our people without your generous funding. Thank you.