ABSTRACT
Since the late 1980s, the Jardín Botánico La Paz (JBLP) at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (W Bolivia) was consolidated in an area of 22,278.40 m2 of the university campus; with efforts on conserving ex situ and in situ plants from the dry inter-Andean valleys. This multipurpose botanical garden also includes scientific research, germination, and propagation experiments as well as environmental awareness to different age groups. The dry inter-Andean valleys of Bolivia follow a fragmented and discontinuous pattern in physiographic formations of the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes. Its representation at the country level reaches 15% (area of 1,100 Mio km2) and is found in six of nine departments. Botanical studies recorded 2,700 species of vascular plants in 800 genera, 150 families, and 444 endemic species (16%). The JBLP hosts in total 172 species, 6 endemics, and 8 assessed in a threat category. Efforts to conserve these species relate especially to germination and propagation experiments, as well as to the development of protocols and permanent contribution to urban reforestation initiatives. The performance achieved in more than 30 years of work dedicates a large part of its efforts to the study and conservation of these plant communities of relevant landscapes of Bolivia.
