About 258,000 hectares of forest were deforested in Bolivia in 2017, according to national statistics. If this rate continues, Bolivia’s forests will be gone in about 200 years. Therefore, understanding the future of forested ecosystems in Bolivia cannot be done without investigating the nature of this deforestation, the associated forest degradation, and existing conservation efforts. The present research began in the municipality of Concepción, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in November 2017, where the researcher lived with a local family for 3 weeks. Concepción contains about 17% of Bolivia’s forests, and accounted for about 6% of the deforestation in Bolivia in 2017. The goal of the research was to learn about the causes of deforestation and forest degradation within the municipality, as well as local conservation efforts and their efficacy. The focus was later broadened to study Bolivia as a whole, through review of secondary sources. Research was conducted through participant observation, 16 informal and semi-formal interviews, and review of primary and secondary sources.
Results/Conclusions
In Concepción, it seems that the spread of cattle ranching, and to a lesser extent crop production, are responsible for a large part of the deforestation. Additionally, the timber industry and forest fires are important causes of forest degradation. Patterns are similar in Bolivia as a whole. Indirect causes of deforestation and degradation include government policies that incentivize agriculture, demographic movements toward eastern Bolivia, new roads, and growing agricultural markets. Factors cited as promoting forest conservation include protected areas, an indigenous territory, regulations for land use and logging, and improved markets for sustainably-sourced products. Additionally, there is a national campaign for reforestation. However, despite the presence of these factors, the rate of deforestation and forest degradation in Bolivia remains high. It seems that increased forest conservation in Bolivia would require prioritizing forests at the same level as agriculture, on a national and perhaps international scale.