Our History

The passion to create BALTA was born in 2007, when 4 of BALTA’s members discovered Ambue Ari, a wildlife refuge in the heart of the Bolivian Amazon.  Ambue Ari is one of 3 parks run by Communidad Inti Wara Yassi, a Bolivian non-profit that rescues wildlife from illegal trading, provides them with the best quality of life possible, and uses all given opportunities to re-release these animals. When the future team arrived in Ambue Ari, their intensions were to spend a short time volunteering. That short time has turned into over 7 years of continued support of CIWY, both in Bolivia and abroad. During these 7 years, the BALTA team recognized the ever growing need to help protect the Amazon from further deforestation. In 2012 Mike Razzano began researching the environmental issues Bolivia was facing further, and how he could help. He was overwhelmed by what he discovered. His love and concern for this vital ecosystem compelled him to take action. He contacted his longtime friends from CIWY, along with a few other gifted individuals, and with their help, BALTA was born.