Beni Department

Beni Department occupies Bolivia's Amazon basin lowlands, where rubber once created the nation's most dynamic economy and cattle now graze seasonally flooded grasslands. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, northern Beni was Bolivia's rubber capital, with worldwide industrial demand driving intensive extraction. When Southeast Asian plantations undercut Amazonian production after World War II, the rubber estates converted to cattle ranches—an ecological succession from one extractive land use to another.

The department now holds 31% of Bolivia's cattle production, with 2-2.5 million head grazing extensive ranches on natural grasslands. The contrast with Santa Cruz is telling: Beni's seasonally flooded pastures support low stocking rates and primarily produce calves sold to Santa Cruz for finishing near population centers and processing plants. This source-sink relationship means Beni captures less value from cattle than its neighbor despite similar herd sizes.

Beni faces pressure from deforestation as cattle expansion meets Amazon forest. Supreme Decree 3973 in 2019 allowed controlled burns on 4.5 million hectares of previously protected land, and the department's cattle sector accounts for part of Bolivia's 35% historical deforestation from livestock. China began importing Bolivian beef in 2019, increasing from 1,000 to 7,900 tonnes by 2020 and creating new demand that accelerates forest conversion. The department demonstrates how agricultural frontiers advance through cycles of extraction, conversion, and intensification.