ABSTRACT
The perception of environmental issues by the Bolivian elites can be illustrated by the results of a small opinion enquiry among elite members from: private entrepreneurs, well-known journalists, trade union leaders and senior officials of the Agriculture, Planning and Finance Ministries. On the basis of documentary sources it can be concluded that rapid modernization of all aspects of Bolivian life constitutes the major normative goal of every important ideological and political flow of public opinion. Comprehensive development represents for the Bolivian functional elites the only realistic way to prevent the disintegration of tropical forests, subtropical savannas and other natural landscapes. The Amazonian Indians do not constitute a major element within Bolivian society: they have no political or economic influence. With the exception of a few scattered articles in Bolivian newspapers, there are practically no publications on the complex ties between environmental problems and socio-political action patterns.
