Bolivia

What follows are quotes from research carried out in the Bolivian Andes by Danish researcher Thor Hjarsen, who is one of our readers.

Bolivian forests are among the richest in the world in terms of biodiversity, with more than 2500 species of trees. Protected areas include some 9,5 million hectares and Indigenous areas about 1 million hectares, while more than 21 million hectares have been granted in forestry concessions, in line with the Bolivian forestry law passed in 1996.

APCOB (“Apoyo para el campesino indígena del oriente boliviano”: "Support to the Indigenous Peasant of Eastern Bolivia") is a Bolivian NGO that "during the last 18 years has been fighting for the conservation of natural resources and the improvement of socioeconomic status of indigenous peoples that inhabit the lowlands of the Eastern region of the country."

We addressed a letter to the President and to the Forest Department (Superintendencia Forestal) of Bolivia, inquiring about the concession of indigenous territories situated in the Western Region to logging companies. This action not only is suspected to be illegal and anti-constitutional but also threatens the livelihood and cultures of forest peoples of Bolivia. We urged that these territories are given back to their legitimate owners.