256 CultureShock! Bolivia
foods. A signifi cant portion of imports are contraband and
fi nd their way into the informal economy.Environmental Issues
Bolivia is part of the richest and most biodiverse region
on Earth, the Tropical Andes. The main threats to this rich
environment are:
Deforestation (from slash-and-burn agriculture and both
legal and illegal timber operations), though Bolivia remains
one of the most forested countries in the world, with
54.2 per cent of its land covered by forest, half of which
is intact ‘primary forest’;
Soil erosion (from slash-and-burn agriculture and
overgrazing); desertifi cation;
Loss of biodiversity;
Receding glaciers (due to global warming);
Polution of water supplies (from mining, agrochemical
and industrial runoff).Famous People
Ana María Romero de Campero
Ana María Romero de Campero (1943) has been an award-
winning journalist and one-time editor of the prestigious but
now-defunct Presencia. Romero was once asked to leave her
newspaper job to become Minister of Communication at a
time of national convulsion. She later authored a book about
her experiences. She’s written two books since, including a
novel about journalism.
She was the Head of the Human Rights Ombudsman
Offi ce. During the government repression of 2003, she
initiated a hunger strike calling for the president Sánchez de
Lozada to step down. The strike was joined by a number of
high-profi le Bolivian personalities. In early 2010, President
Evo Morales appointed her president of the Senate.She is the
fi rst woman in Bolivia’s history to hold this postion.Marco Etcheverry
Marco Etcheverry (1970) led Bolivia’s national football team
to an unprecedented qualifi cation for the 1994 World Cup,