The main purpose of the Integrated Bolivian Amazon Project was to provide direct support to promote protection, conservation and sustainable use of the region’s biodiversity and environmental goods and services; increase incomes and promote economic growth through sustainable use of biodiversity; strengthen participatory local governance to improve environmental management; and strengthen the capacity of national and sub-national government institutions to develop policies and technical tools that promote biodiversity conservation, mitigate the impacts of climate change and support sustainable economic development. The project focused on 6 municipalities in Northern La Paz-Beni, and Santa Cruz selected for the importance of their biodiversity, their relatively high population densities and their interest and willingness to promote sustainable economic development.
Objectives
- Strengthen local and municipal governance to improve biodiversity conservation efforts, environmental management, and increase resilience to climate change.
- Promote economic growth and increase incomes of local and indigenous communities and producer groups through sustainable use of natural resources, land-based production systems and improved commercialization and marketing links for related goods and services.
- Seek opportunities to scale-up the project’s results to regional and national levels.
Outcomes
- More than 630,526 hectares of biological significance under improved natural resource management. Support provided by the project included biodiversity conservation of 29 forestry species and 17 fauna species in a total area of 1.4 million hectares.
- More than 450,000 hectares under forestry management plans through 12 community forestry organizations.
- More than 6,700 people benefited directly from natural resources and biodiversity management activities.
- More than 1,700 direct and indirect jobs generated and more than $720.000 in sales.