Working Together to Save Tropical Forests

Protecting Bolivia’s tropical forests is like cooking a communal meal. The recipe includes high proportions of participation, high levels of commitment, plenty of creativity and the responsibility to find solutions together.

While forest protection is still a work in progress, Bolivia is, today, the leader in responsible management of tropical forests. A remarkable two million hectares have been brought under FSC certification, protecting important areas of the Amazon basin. But as impressive as the figures are, the effort to save tropical forests cannot be measured in certified area alone – the impact of the move to FSC certification is profound and far-reaching.

”Through FSC, the forest- sector has secured a better political and economic place in Bolivia, increasing the confidence of society in responsible forest management and related operations”, says Lincoln Quevedo, member of the FSC Board of Directors.

The Bolivian forest sector faced many difficulties associated with the economic and social issues of the country. Deforestation due to shifting cultivation and agro-industry was another threat to forest ecosystems. The absence of sustainable forest management was the rule. High-grading was a common practice for forest operations that concentrated on only a few valuable species. Although forest management was clearly defined and prescribed in the former Forestry Law, sustainable management plans were not implemented under the former regime. Not surprisingly, loggers were blamed for all forest destruction and were held in very low esteem by the public.

Since 1994, work to change this scenario has moved forward on multiple fronts sharing a common denominator: FSC that offered stakeholders a platform for dialogue toward finding solutions. It also provided a framework of credible international standards to make responsible forest management possible.