Bolivia: Escazú Agreement Protects Environmental Defenders

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“I grew up with a deep respect for nature. I learned from a young age to value natural resources and biodiversity,” said Marcos Uzquiano Howard, a Bolivian park ranger and defender of the Amazon rainforest.

Raised among ancestral knowledge and the forest of northern Bolivia, Uzquiano turned that legacy into a way of life: protecting the land, biodiversity, and the people who inhabit it.

“My mother and grandmother taught me about respect, telling us that if we were going to use something from nature, we had to ask for permission, because trees are living beings,” Uzquiano said.

However, his calling made him a target of institutional harassment, arbitrary dismissal, and threats.

“Amazonian biodiversity is very rich, but it is also under threat due to illegal mining and other dangers,” he said.

The defender had reported threats to Amazonian biodiversity in his region, such as illegal mining, forest fires, and deforestation. This, he said, brought him into conflict with external actors, as well as persecution within the institution he works for, Bolivia’s National Service of Protected Areas (SERNAP), which, in Uzquiano’s view, should have been his main support.

Although Uzquiano secured a favourable ruling that ordered his reinstatement, he is still waiting for the necessary protection measures to be implemented so he can continue his work.

On 23 April 2025, Bolivia held its first public environmental hearing under the Escazú Agreement. Convened by the Agro-Environmental Tribunal, the hearing addressed the protection of the jaguar and its habitat and included protective measures for environmental defenders such as Uzquiano. The hearing marked a historic precedent for environmental justice and in the effective implementation of the Escazú Agreement in the country.

Making a difference

Through its work in Bolivia, the UN Human Rights Office for South America continuously monitors the situation of human rights defenders, particularly those working on environmental issues and in Indigenous territories.

Within this framework, the Office has maintained contact with Uzquiano, whose case was brought to light in greater detail thanks to allied civil society organisations such as the Centre for Documentation and Information Bolivia and the National Coordinator for the Defence of Indigenous, Peasant Territories and Protected Areas of Bolivia.

UN Human Rights, through its presence in Latin America, works on the implementation of the Escazú Agreement, a unique instrument in that it is a regional agreement that not only addresses environmental protection but also the protection of those who defend the environment.

“The Escazú Agreement is the first environmental treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean that guarantees three fundamental rights: access to environmental information, participation in decisions that affect the environment, and access to justice in environmental matters,” said Sara Nuero, coordinator of UN Human Rights’ project on regional human rights strategies for Latin America and the Caribbean, funded by Sweden and based in the Office for Central America.

Article 9 of the Escazú Agreement is particularly relevant as it sets out guidelines for the protection of environmental defenders and allows them to receive protection at an international level.

“In Mr Uzquiano’s case, both State institutions and civil society are using the Escazú Agreement and its interpretation to strengthen resistance processes, advocacy, and to achieve important decisions at the constitutional level, with the potential to generate jurisprudence,” said Jan Jarab, Representative of the UN Human Rights Regional Office for South America.

The Office provides technical assistance to States to implement the Escazú Agreement with a human rights-based approach.

“The Office has also promoted the active participation of environmental defenders in national and regional implementation processes,” Nuero said. “Among the key partnerships is the collaboration with civil society organisations, regional mechanisms, and development agencies to build capacity and create spaces for dialogue and protection.”

One of those civil society representatives is César Artiga, an activist since the age of 18, a promoter of a culture of peace, and currently an elected Public Representative under the Escazú Agreement.

For Artiga, the Escazú Agreement is a milestone in environmental issues.

“Latin America and the Caribbean is the most dangerous region in the world to work as an environmental defender,” Artiga said. “The Escazú Agreement not only protects people on the front line, but it also includes journalists, researchers, and all those who defend the environment in any capacity.”

Artiga recently took part in the Third Forum on Human Rights and Environmental Defenders in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Saint Kitts and Nevis, organised by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and UN Human Rights.

From his regional perspective, Artiga sees a growing threat, a troubling time of setbacks and institutional weakening — but also, he said, a lot of grassroots organising and struggle from people in the territories. These experiences were widely shared during the Forum.

“There is community resilience because there is no other choice: it’s survival,” Artiga said.

Remaining challenges

So far, 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have ratified the Agreement, and although the progress is significant, challenges remain.

That is why effective implementation of the Escazú Agreement is urgent. According to UN Human Rights, one of the greatest challenges is ensuring that the commitments made are translated into concrete actions that respond to local contexts and needs.

“One of the main challenges in implementing the Escazú Agreement is translating regional commitments into concrete national actions that genuinely strengthen the protection of environmental defenders.” Nuero said.“Supporting this process requires political will, resources, and active participation from civil society”.

For Jarab, developing regional indicators is vital for proper implementation of the Agreement.

“It is necessary to gather information from each country that has ratified the Agreement in order to contribute to the implementation of their respective national plans,” Jarab said.

For Uzquiano, international attention has been essential to his defence.

“The intervention of UN Human Rights has given me a sense of hope, that we are not alone,” Uzquiano said. “Their support and that of the Bolivian Ombudsman gave me the confidence to continue with my work, despite the threats and the persecution.”

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