A Boom Deferred, a Desert ThirstingOn the windswept edges of the Uyuni salt flats, villagers in Río Grande remember when wetlands shimmered with birds and vicuñas. Residents say the change began when the state company, Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB), drilled wells and expanded its Llipi industrial complex. Researchers insist that any project should begin with rigorous consultation of Indigenous communities, as international labor conventions require. Yet on the ground, residents say decisions are being made first and explained later. On the cracked earth of Río Grande, villager Franz Alí Ramos sums up the hope still lingering amid distrust.