Why La Paz, Bolivia, is the most nature-friendly city in the world
The consideration was based on the city’s participation in the City Nature Challenge, an annual four-day competition in which teams around the globe photograph wildlife in their cities.
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LA PAZ, Bolivia – Out of nearly 500 cities on the planet, the Bolivian capital of La Paz has been dubbed the world’s most nature-friendly city, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The consideration was based on the city’s participation in the City Nature Challenge, an annual four-day competition to see which city can win in three categories: making the most observations of nature, finding the most species and engaging the most people.
Map showing location of La Paz, Bolivia.
(FOX Weather / FOX Weather)
This year, the City Nature Challenge was hosted in approximately 482 cities across 46 countries. About 70,000 people participated, making 1.9 million observations representing 57,000 species.
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Of those cities, La Paz came out on top with 3,025 participants making 126,435 observations of wildlife and counting 5,344 species in and around their city. These numbers allowed La Paz to win in all three categories of the City Nature Challenge.
Some observations in La Paz included the hooded mountain toucan in the Andean cloud forests and two smooth-throated lizards found only in the La Paz valley. Some observations of plant life included a possible new species of fungi in the Cotapata National Park and the Oncidium orchid.
Oncidium orchid from La Paz metro area.
(Omar MirandaI / Wildlife Conservation Society / FOX Weather)
Located in the mountainous region of western Bolivia, La Paz is the world’s highest capital and boasts a variety of ecosystems, from snow-capped peaks of the Andes mountains to foothill forests influenced by the tropical Amazon Rainforest.
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A number of conservation, governmental and educational organizations spearheaded by the WCS rallied efforts behind La Paz’s participation in the City Nature Challenge.
![Participants in the the City Nature Challenge in La Paz.]()
Image 1 of 2Participants in the the City Nature Challenge in La Paz. (Rob Wallace / Wildlife Conservation Society)
![WCS joined forces with another Bolivian city, Trinidad, in the City Nature Challenge. Trinidad won all three categories for a city of its size. In this photo, Trinidad Municipal government staff participate in the City Nature Challenge.]()
Image 2 of 2WCS joined forces with another Bolivian city, Trinidad, in the City Nature Challenge. Trinidad won all three categories for a city of its size. In this photo, Trinidad Municipal government staff participate in the City Nature Challenge. (Rob Wallace / Wildlife Conservation Society)
"This is not only a triumph for La Paz, but also shows an increasing commitment and conscience about biodiversity and the importance of its conservation, particularly among the youth of the country," said Carla Maldonado, director of the National Herbarium, one of the organizations in the organizing committee.
The City Nature Challenge began in 2016 as a friendly competition between two U.S cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Since then, it has grown into an event that highlights biodiversity around the world.