A consortium of coca growers are opposing construction of a North-South highway which would provide Bolivia with much needed connectivity. The Beni-Cochabamba highway would run from the North to the South and would establish much needed infrastructure to the country’s transportation network.

Coca production was recently protected and enshrined in Bolivia’s controversial 2009 constitution as part of Bolivia’s cultural heritage. An energy drink called Coca Colla is produced in Bolivia using coca extract as its base.

The road would have run through the Tipnis National Park, and through an area utilized by coca growers. The park is to the east of La Paz to the west of the center of Bolivia.