TRAINING ASSESSMENT: IMPACTS AND NEEDS
Bolivia Sustainable Forest Management Project
Submitted to: U.S. Agency for International Development
Submitted by: Chemonics International Inc.
Prepared by: Jocelyn Wyatt and Amanda Jefferson
June 13, 2003
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acronyms i Executive Summary iii
SECTION INTRODUCTION 1
SECTION II METHODOLOGY 3
SECTION III FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 5 A. Impacts and Future Needs of Stakeholders 5 A1. Public Sector 5 A2. Universities 11 A3. Private Sector 13 A4. Local Social Groups (ASLs) 17 A5. Indigenous Community Groups 23 B. Academic Scholarships 29 C. Thesis Grants 31 D. Gender 32
SECTION IV RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 35
ANNEX A LIST OF INTERVIEWEES A-1 ANNEX B MAP OF BOLIVIA B-1 ANNEX C ANALYSIS OF BOLFOR TRAINING, 1994 - 2000 C-1 ANNEX D BOLFOR TRAINING PLAN 2000 D-1 ANNEX E BIBLIOGRAPHY E-1
ACRONYMS
AMAISAM Associación Madereros Industriales de San Miguel (Association for Industrial Woodworkers of San Miguel) ASL Agrupaciones Sociales del Lugar (Local Social Groups) BOLFOR Bolivia Sustainable Forestry Project CADEFOR Centro Amazónico de Desarrollo Forestal (Amazonian Center for Sustainable Forest Enterprise) CADEX Cámara de Exportadores de Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz Chamber of Exporters) CFV Consejo Boliviano para la Certificación Forestal Voluntaria (Bolivian Council for Voluntary Certification) CIMAR Centro de Investigación y Manejo de Recursos Naturales (Center for Research and Renewable Natural Resources Management) FCBC Fundación del Bosque Chiquitano (Foundation for the Chiquitano Forest) FSC Forest Stewardship Council GIS Geographic Information System GPS Geographic Positioning System INRA Instituto Nacional de Reforma Agraria (National Agrarian Reform Institute) MDSP Ministerio de Desarrollo Sostenible (Ministry of Sustainable Development) NGO Nongovernmental Organizations SF Superintendencia Forestal (Forest Superintendency) TCO Tierras Comunitarias de Origen (Indigenous Community Groups) UAGRM Autonomous University of Gabriel René Moreno (Universidad Autonoma de Gabriel Rene Moreno) UFI Unidades Forestales Indígenas (Indigenous Forest Units) UFM Unidad Forestal Municipal (Municipal Forestry Unit) UOB Unidad Operativo del Bosque (Forest Operations Unit)
Executive Summary
A. Background
When the Bolivia Sustainable Forest Management (BOLFOR) project began in 1994, the Bolivian forests were in dire need of protection. BOLFOR was tasked with building the capacity of both the public and private sectors to manage the forests sustainably.
Training is a significant component of the BOLFOR project. Its training activities include short- term technical training courses, on-the-job training, academic scholarships, and thesis grants. USAID has asked that BOLFOR evaluate its training activities to create a clear record of past efforts and to explore future needs. Amanda Jefferson and Jocelyn Wyatt traveled to Bolivia for three and a half weeks to conduct interviews, prepare a report evaluating the impacts of these training activities, and make recommendations for the future. This report also addresses the training needs of stakeholders and offers recommendations for future Bolivian forestry training providers.
In making our evaluation we looked at the effects of BOLFOR on five groups of stakeholders: the public sector, universities, the private sector, local social groups (ASLs), and indigenous community groups (TCOs) operating through indigenous forest units (UFIs). The people we met with spoke very highly of BOLFOR’s training activities and emphasized the importance of its impact.
BOLFOR worked on two tracks to accomplish its goal of capacity building. On one, it offered short courses and on-the-job training to build the technical skills of those working in the forest sector. On the second track, BOLFOR offered academic training in the form of graduate degree scholarships at universities outside Bolivia and thesis grants for undergraduate students at Bolivian universities.
BOLFOR has offered both one-time training and continuous training to its stakeholders. The one-time workshops and seminars were designed to provide a road map to the implementation of Bolivian forestry law, covering such topics as the procedures for requesting grants from Municipal Forest Reserves and for forming ASLs. Continuous workshops and seminars are those that need to be repeated periodically to train new staff, professionals, and public officials in such areas as aspects of forest management and timber production, as well as business organization and marketing.
B. Findings
BOLFOR has three components: forest management, research, and public sector support. It has provided training in all these areas. Training for the private sector focused on forest management techniques, especially those required for certification. For the public sector BOLFOR provided
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compliance training, to enable them to regulate forests. Finally, it supported university training, especially research.
One of BOLFOR’s strengths is that it was able to address the needs of stakeholders as they arose. Through training on one topic, additional training needs were identified. BOLFOR has been in constant communication with stakeholders to cater to their ever-changing needs with demand- driven training.
BOLFOR training has thus evolved over the years. At first, in 1994, BOLFOR provided technical training to foresters. Once the new forestry law was signed in 1996, BOLFOR began to train people in the public and private sectors on how to comply with it. Then came training in forest management, followed by training in organizing ASLs and TCOs. This led to a realization of the need for business administration courses. Now that most timber companies, ASLs, and UFIs have been trained in functional organizational systems and basic accounting systems, BOLFOR has begun to work with these groups on drafting business plans, marketing their goods, and creating new products.
How has BOLFOR affected its stakeholders?
In the public sector BOLFOR training has brought an increased knowledge of the new forestry law and defined roles and responsibilities of various public institutions. The sector now needs additional training in roles and responsibilities and land surveying and titling.
BOLFOR training supplemented slow-changing university curriculums with intensive short courses, giving students opportunities to apply forest management techniques and increasing the capacity of professors as well as students to identify plant and tree species. In the future, university professors need to learn more about their advisory roles and students need business administration courses.
For timber companies, BOLFOR training has improved forest management, increased their knowledge of the forest certification process, reduced their costs, improved species classification, and improved financial management systems. Private representatives have asked for marketing and product development, business administration, and more species identification courses.
Thanks to BOLFOR, ASLs now have an enhanced understanding of the new law, deeper knowledge of forest management, improved organizational systems, and stronger accounting systems. They still need training in organization, business administration, marketing and product development, and sustainable forestry management.
BOLFOR training has given TCOs and UFIs a better understanding of sustainable forestry management techniques, better defined roles and responsibilities within communities, improved business management systems, and income generation options. Community members saw a further need for training in advanced forest management techniques, presentation skills, business administration, and marketing and product development.
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Though BOLFOR training has had different effects and future needs are different for each group of stakeholders, there is a great deal of overlap. For example, BOLFOR successfully trained several groups on the implications of the new forestry law for all parties. BOLFOR trained both public and private sectors in sustainable forest management, including forest management plans, inventories, censuses, and mapping. In the future, all those active in forestry need training in marketing and product development and business administration.
C. Recommendations
To date, though educational institutions have adopted individual BOLFOR courses, none has expressed an interest in all or a majority of them. We recommend that BOLFOR offer to transfer training materials and methodologies to a local institution, even though BOLFOR has expressed the belief that Bolivian institutions have the capacity to assess the training market and reach their own decisions.
As the forest sector becomes more organized, we recommend that nongovernmental organizations and local associations look into training their staff in training methodologies. This would enable them to more effectively transfer their knowledge to colleagues or community members. Similarly, we recommend that training providers incorporate proven training methodologies into their offerings and allow ample time within courses for trainees to apply the content.
The forestry training providers should group workshops into courses of study, so that participants are aware of the sequence and prerequisites for the courses. Participants could then work towards certification in certain areas.
We recommend that the universities coordinate more closely with other training providers to ensure that the short workshops are eventually incorporated into the university curricula.
Finally, we recommend that before the project ends BOLFOR document its training experiences by gathering all its training materials, organizing them by subject, and writing a simple guide to their content and use. These modules could then be used to support training efforts after BOLFOR.
As its legacy, BOLFOR will leave a cadre of highly trained forestry professionals. Until 1994, very few people in Bolivia knew about sustainable forest management. The persons interviewed reported that they learned about the new forestry aw and sustainable forestry management from BOLFOR training. BOLFOR has thus helped to protect Bolivia’s natural resources and create income-generating opportunities for thousands of Bolivians.
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SECTION I
Introduction
In 1993, the Government of Bolivia and USAID established the Bolivia Sustainable Forest Management Project (BOLFOR). Its goal was to reduce degradation of forest, soil, and water resources and to protect the biological diversity of Bolivia’s forests by building public and private sector capacity to devise and implement programs for sustainable forest use. Training has been a major component of the BOLFOR project throughout. In just under ten years, BOLFOR has conducted 504 in-country training activities, averaging nearly one a week and training 7,961 persons, 1,270 of them women (see Exhibit I.1). Though the majority of these people are involved in the forest sector, BOLFOR has also offered courses on botany, wildlife management, and ecology. The goal has been to build a cadre of skilled forestry professionals to manage Bolivia’s natural resources.
Exhibit I-1. BOLFOR Training Programs, 1994-2003 Total people Total people trained Number Male (with Female (with trained (with (without Period of events duplication) duplication) duplication)* duplication)* 1994 – 2000 318 7,788 1,166 8,954 5,323 2001 – 2003 186 3,533 747 4,280 2,638 Total 504 11,321 1,913 13,234 7,961
* This total shows the number of participants at each training course. Because many people attended more than one course, this total counts many individuals more than once. Without duplication, the total number of individuals trained is 7,961, of which 1,270 are women and 6,691 are men.
BOLFOR training has been primarily in the form of short workshops and courses. The training covers a range of topics, from tree-cutting techniques to budgeting to leadership skills. Currently, courses fall into four categories: forest management, administration, organization, and marketing and product development. BOLFOR has delivered these courses to the public sector, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), universities, the private sector, ASLs, and UFIs throughout the country. It has also provided on-the-job training, especially to members of ASLs and UFIs.
During its tenure BOLFOR offered postgraduate academic scholarships to 16 people to study outside Bolivia. As part of the research component of the project, BOLFOR has worked with domestic universities to provide thesis grants to undergraduates. The scholarships and grants allow students to complete their degrees and generate valuable research on the Bolivian forests; the effects have been significant for both individuals and the institutions where they have worked.
At its inception in 1994, BOLFOR prepared a training plan, a useful resource that continued to guide its training through from 2000. That year, USAID asked that BOLFOR’s training from 1994 – 2000 be evaluated (see Annex C) and a training plan drafted for the extension period.
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In February 2003, USAID asked that BOLFOR again evaluate its training activities from 1994 to date. The report that follows presents observations about the impacts of these programs on the Government of Bolivia, universities, the private sector, NGOs, local social groups (ASLs), and indigenous community groups (TCOs), and makes recommendations for future training.
Though it builds on the evaluation conducted in 2000, this evaluation is more comprehensive and identifies changes that have occurred as a result of the training. Taking into account these changes, we assess the future training needs of the various stakeholders.
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SECTION II
Methodology
To make the necessary evaluation, we conducted structured and unstructured individual interviews and focus groups, securing the opinions of 113 people. We looked at the impacts of BOLFOR training on the forest sector as a whole and on institutions and individuals.
To ensure that we had the opinions of a representative group, we met with people in Santa Cruz, La Paz, Cochabamba, Riberalta, Cobija, San Ignacio de Velasco, San Miguel de Velasco, Concepción, Ascensión de Guarayos, Ixiamas, and Tumupasa. In two and a half weeks, we interviewed representatives from 53 organizations, including public institutions, universities, NGOs, private companies, ASLs, and UFIs. (See Annex A for a list of those interviewed.)
Amanda Jefferson evaluated the results of the training programs on, and assessed the training needs of, the Government of Bolivia, universities, the private sector, and NGOs. Ms. Jefferson conducted interviews in Santa Cruz, La Paz, Cochabamba, Riberalta, and Cobija. Analyzing the effects of training and the training needs of ASLs and indigenous community groups. Jocelyn Wyatt conducted interviews in Santa Cruz, San Ignacio de Velasco, San Miguel de Velasco, Concepción, Ascención de Guarayos, Ixiamas, and Tumupasa.
About half of the interviews and focus groups were concerned with the effects of BOLFOR training on the Bolivian forest sector at the macro level. We also interviewed training participants, discussing how the training had affected both their organization and their own professional development. We met with both graduate scholarship and thesis grant recipients and with trainees who attended short technical workshops and on-the-job training. We also observed a training workshop for UFIs in Ascención de Guarayos.
The interview questions dealt with the types of training BOLFOR has offered, the impacts of the training, how BOLFOR training could be improved, and perceived training needs. USAID identifies the following possible levels of impact:
• Learning outcomes (skills acquisition) • Skill utilization • Impact on participant career • Changes in participant productivity and achievements • Changes in organizational performance at the office level • Changes in organizational performance overall • Sector-level impact • National impact (economy, policies, etc.)
In addition to the interviews, we researched past training activities and their effects by reading reports produced by BOLFOR and other publications. The evaluation used qualitative rather than quantitative methods to determine the impact of BOLFOR training, but some basic quantitative figures can be found throughout the report.
SECTION III
Findings and Analysis
A. Impacts and Future Needs of Stakeholders
Within the forest sector, the BOLFOR project has been working to institutionalize a push and pull system, the carrot-and-the-stick approach. Voluntary certification provides the carrot for the private sector to manage the forest sustainably. It opens up new markets and the possibility for increased sales. The public wields the stick in enforcing the forestry law. An effective public sector keeps the private sector in compliance; private companies comply with the law or lose their forest concessions.
With the carrot and the stick in mind, BOLFOR has tried to work with each side as much as possible. Before 1996, when the forestry law was passed, BOLFOR worked almost entirely with the private sector, demonstrating methods to manage the forest sustainably with or without the enforcement stick. The new law set up the framework for a new forestry regime with which the private sector would now have to comply. BOLFOR then began to work to help the regulators understand and accept the appropriate roles and responsibilities of various agencies. BOLFOR continued to train the private sector in sustainable forest management, but with a new emphasis on how the law would affect private firms, and how they could adapt to the changes.
The greatest impact of BOLFOR’s training has not been on the public sector but on the foresters, but to clarify how the current forestry regime functions, we begin our analysis with the public sector. The new forestry law and the organization of the public sector are important to understand because as they affect the other stakeholders in substantial ways.
A1. Public Sector
BOLFOR trainees receiving A1a. Background hands-on training in the field
During the early years of BOLFOR, forestry, like many other sectors of Bolivia, was plagued by corruption. Uncontrollable logging and slash-and- burn agriculture were robbing Bolivia of valuable forest resources at an alarming rate. The antiquated legal framework was hardly enforced, so the situation deteriorated quickly. With technical orientation and support of BOLFOR, stakeholders recognized the need for change and pushed the government of Bolivia for reform of the sector. Forestry Law No. 1700 was enacted on July 12, 1996.
One of BOLFOR’s main accomplishments was to advise on the drafting and enactment of the new law, which brought about fundamental changes, such as linking forest use with land
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ownership. The law also established the basis for sustainable forest management. Major changes from the old law to the new law were:
• A switch from harvesting contracts to 40-year forest concessions • Payment of an area-based forestry tax • Creation of systems designed to guarantee transparency in awarding rights to the forest • Complete restructuring of the public institutions charged with implementing the new forestry model
The impact of BOLFOR training on the public sector as a whole actually began with a single training workshop. In October 1995, 17 political leaders visited tropical forest management operations and discussed key issues with BOLFOR staff and consultants.1 This workshop for policy makers put the wheels in motion to create a new forestry law geared towards sustainable forest management.
The workshop was instrumental in making lawmakers far more aware of the importance of the law and the valuable resources BOLFOR could offer. Since then, BOLFOR training has been absolutely vital in disseminating information about the new law to facilitate its efficient and thorough implementation.
After the new law was ratified, BOLFOR immediately began a broad informational campaign to disperse the new information to governmental officials and all the other actors in the sector. BOLFOR training for public servants explained the intricacies of the law, how to uphold it, and the importance of portraying government agencies as honest and transparent. Equipping a core group of trained government officials to fulfill their new roles is one of BOLFOR’s greatest accomplishments.
The role of each public institution with ties to the forest sector (see Exhibit III-1 on the next page) is defined by the legislation. The following public institutions have parts to play:
• Ministry of Sustainable Development (MDSP) • Forest Superintendency (SF) • National Agrarian Reform Institute (INRA) • Prefectures • Municipal governments
1 John Nittler, “End of Tour Report,” May 2001.
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Exhibit III-1. The Public Sector and Forestry
Forest Regime
Forest Municipal Governments Prefectures MDSP Superintendency (23) (9)
Local Offices Vice-ministry of Forestry Units Forestry Units (7) Renewable Resources (UFMs)
Forest Operations Units General Direction (22) of Forestry
INRA
The Ministry of Sustainable Development is responsible for issuing policy for the forests, monitoring forest resources, and defining technical standards for forestry-related activities. Within the ministry, responsibility for forestry lies in the Viceministry of Renewable Resources and Environment, specifically the General Direction of Forestry Development. The MDSP’s central office is in La Paz.
The Forest Superintendency is responsible for granting forest concession rights, reviewing and approving forest management and operations plans, and overseeing compliance with the plans and technical standards. The central office is in Santa Cruz; there are seven local offices and twenty-two Forest Operation Units.
The National Agrarian Reform Institute (INRA) is charged with surveying and titling land concessions.
Prefectures are national government offices operating at the departmental level; Bolivia is divided into nine departments, and there is a prefecture for each. The forestry units within the prefectures are responsible for sanctioning the use of public forces (police and military) to protect the forest concessions from encroachment. They should develop and execute reforestation and forestry research projects and they are responsible for monitoring compliance with environmental legislation.
Municipal Forestry Units (UFMs) within municipal governments are responsible for identifying forest land that can be conceded to ASLs and provide technical assistance to local social groups organized as ASLs in drafting management plans.
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We interviewed representatives from the Forest Superintendency at both the central and local levels, the MDSP’s General Direction of Forestry, and the Institute of Agrarian Reform. We also interviewed employees of several UFMs and of the Prefecture of Pando.
BOLFOR has not provided much training to the prefectures or the MDSP. High levels of government corruption, frequent staff turnover, and apathy towards sustainable forestry have made the prefectures extremely difficult to work with. BOLFOR does have several staff working full-time in the name of the MDSP, but because the ministry is so understaffed, any training is mostly informal and on-the-job.
A1b. Impacts
Noticeable impacts of BOLFOR training on the public sector are as follows:
• Increased knowledge of the role of the Forest Superintendency • Increased ability of the Forest Superintendency to apply the new forestry law • Enhanced understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the UFM
Increased knowledge of the role of the Forest Superintendency. As was much needed, the new forestry law called for a responsible, respectable, honest government body to police the forestry industry. This new agency was the Forest Superintendency (SF), the key public institution regulating the sector, granting forest concessions, and collecting an area-based forestry tax. BOLFOR offered extensive training for the SF’s seven local offices and twenty two Forest Operation Units (UOBs) to ensure that they would fulfill the agency’s new roles.
One of BOLFOR’s goals in working with the SF was to communicate the importance of eliminating corruption in the forest sector. Since it began operations in 1997, the Forest Superintendency has established itself as a transparent, credible, and highly respected regulatory institution.
Increased ability of the Forest Superintendency to apply the new forestry law. An important training series for the SF were workshops on how to inspect and evaluate forest management activities. BOLFOR staff provided on-the-job training to SF local offices on forest management plans, censuses, inventories, and auditing.
BOLFOR courses have provided the majority of forestry professionals registered to the SF with a strong knowledge base of forest management. They have gained technical and practical skills and techniques to supplement possibly out-dated college education in the old forestry techniques.
Enhanced understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the UFM. Municipal governments are key to the institutional stability of the new forestry regime because they are decentralized, which means their success does not depend on a single change in leadership or any other governmental event. The forestry law gives municipalities the resources and specific responsibilities to carry out through Municipal Forestry Units (UFMs). BOLFOR has trained numerous UFMs in their new roles—identifying concession areas and helping organizations draft management plan—and provided resources for them to fully comply with the forestry law.
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The UFMs have been trained in management of forest reserves, silviculture, global information systems (GIS), forest mapping, forest inventories, and censuses.
UFMs are now much better able to review the concessionary papers of the ASLs. Slowly, some UFMs are learning the importance of the resources gained through the forestry tax and how to invest to ensure the future financial viability of their regions.
Conclusion. In general, the biggest impact that BOLFOR training has had on the public sector has been in spreading the word about the new forestry law and equipping each public institution with the knowledge it needs to fulfill its responsibilities. BOLFOR has been able to accomplish actual behavior change as public employees have begun to understand that government bodies free of corruption can affect change. A public sector free of corruption gives the private sector little opportunity for corruption; through this trickle-down effect, the public sector can actually create a transparent and effective system in the forest industry.
The greatest public-sector success story has been the Forest Superintendency. It has been central to making the new forest regime work. It has managed to keep itself neutral and apolitical, always promoting transparency in its decision making—a role model for other institutions. The SF had the political will to move forward and has not let financial, human or technical resource challenges slow it down.
A1c. Future Training Needs
The public sector is still in need of training in the following areas:
• Continued intensive training in responsibilities as personnel change • Extensive training of municipal governments on the importance of the UFM and the forestry tax revenue • Continued training in the responsibilities of Forest Superintendency offices outside of Santa Cruz • Continued training in land survey and titling for INRA
Continued intensive training in responsibilities as personnel change. One of BOLFOR’s greatest challenges has been the fragile situation created by a public sector plagued with constant turnover. It is not uncommon for well-trained individuals to leave, be replaced by a governmental official with little interest in the sector. A concerted effort should be made to train new public employees who may be completely unfamiliar with the new forestry law. Such training should encompass the intricacies of the law and its implications for each government institution. Training should also include workshops on technical topics like forest inventories, censuses, and management plans because it is important that regulatory agencies understand sustainable forestry techniques.
Extensive training of municipal governments on the importance of the UFM and the forestry tax revenue. The UFMs receive a portion of the forestry tax, which is intended for reinvestment into the forest sector. A common complaint of private-sector interviewees was that some UFMs use the money for activities not even remotely related to forestry, such as contracting with private
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doctors or buying expensive cars for office use. It is very rare that there is any social pressure on UFMs to use forestry tax monies properly; most townspeople are unaware that the UFM receives this money and are certainly not familiar with how they are obligated to spend it. Municipal governments must be trained in the important role that the UFM and the forestry tax play in the future economic success of the municipality.
Our interviews also suggest a need for more training of UFMs in reviewing ASL concession papers for submission to the MDSP. At this point BOLFOR staff members actually does much of the reviewing, because there are not enough staff, but the UFMs must learn to do this on their own.
Finally, we suggest that regional UFMs be brought together in training groups to give them an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences. This is also a way for more advanced UFMs to mentor and influence other UFMs.
Continued training in the responsibilities of Forest Superintendency offices outside of Santa Cruz. Because much of the work that both BOLFOR and the Forest Superintendency do is concentrated in Santa Cruz, it is important for training to “We need to double our efforts in reach SF employees working at the UOB level. These training.” employees need training in both technical forestry and management because they must do both in their daily jobs. Ana Maria Fernandez, Director, Forest Superintendency, Local Office They especially need training on how to review forest of Cochabamba management plans as well as how to effectively enforce the new forestry law.
Continued training in land survey and titling for INRA. Charged with surveying and titling land concessions, the National Institute for Agrarian Reform (INRA) finds itself understaffed and barely able to keep up with land titles and disputes alone. Failure to aggressively enforce the agrarian reform law that created INRA has been a major obstacle to effective implementation of the new forestry law.
Absence of land titles, overlapping forestry concessions, and unclear land ownership are widely prevalent. Land disputes and lack of clarity about concessions areas discourage private producers from investing in forestry. In addition, much of the forest is underprotected, leaving it vulnerable to illegal logging. The scale of the problem is overwhelming, far beyond the current capacity of INRA. There is a need to employ and train at least 20 to 30 people in surveying and titling.
Conclusion. Lack of resources and frequent turnover are the biggest challenges that most Bolivian government institutions face in trying to effect change within the forestry industry. Introductory training for new government officials should continue, instilling in them the understanding and drive of some of their predecessors. Training programs should always be sensitive to the lack of resources and should work to invent new ways to reach more people within the public sector, so that knowledge and skills become institutionalized.
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A2. Universities
A2a. Background
There are currently three universities in Bolivia with courses of study in forest engineering and one forest technical college (see Exhibit III-2). The new forestry law not only imposed an entirely new and different forest paradigm but challenged universities with their outdated curriculums and undertrained professors and administrators. Lack of will on the part of administrators and professors and limited resources to make changes make it difficult to strengthen university courses of study to ensure that students leave their universities well-trained and prepared for an ever-changing career in forestry.
Exhibit III-2. Bolivian Universities with Forestry Programs
University Location Universidad Autónoma Juan Misael Saracho Tarija Universidad Técnica del Beni Mariscal José Ballivián Beni Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno Santa Cruz Universidad Mayor de San Simón (Escuela Técnica Superior Forestal) Cochabamba
A2b. Impacts
BOLFOR’s training has had substantial impact on the university community. Direct impacts include the following:
• Slow-changing university curriculums have been supplemented with updated external courses. • A well-trained cadre of professionals is now working at the university level. • Opportunities for practical application of forest management techniques have increased. • Students have increased their capacity to identify plant and tree species.
Slow-changing university curriculums have been supplemented with updated external courses. The new forestry law carried with it the need for many changes in university curriculums. Old curriculums were concerned with plantations rather than natural and regenerated forests. Since many university professors were seasoned in the old ways of managing forests, BOLFOR filled a knowledge gap by offering sustainable forestry training for both students and professors. This made it possible for students to leave the university with a more current view of forestry and for professors to slowly begin to learn about new laws, methodologies, and systems and perhaps eventually incorporating them into their classes and the curriculum.
Since receiving BOLFOR training, the Technical University of Beni Mariscal José Ballivián has added five one-week training courses to its curriculum: silviculture, management plans, forestry organization, inventory, and global positioning systems. Attendance of invited students, which is usually half of the student body, is mandatory. This has proven to be a good temporary solution to filling the training gap, because there are not enough resources to change the daily curriculum completely.
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A well-trained cadre of professionals is now working at the university level. Each university we visited had at least one staff member who has received some BOLFOR training, from a one-day workshop to an M.S. in forest ecology. These professionals sprinkled throughout the university community are a source of forward-thinking forestry knowledge.
At the Autonomous University of Gabriel René Moreno, we met with two BOLFOR-funded M.S. recipients who are now working as professors. They look to slowly change a resistant and resource-deprived education system by incorporating BOLFOR training into their courses.
Opportunities for practical application of forest management techniques have increased. Many Bolivian universities focus on the theoretical aspects of forest management, paying less attention to practical training. Thus many students leave the university with a forestry degree without having done much fieldwork. BOLFOR courses give both students and professors practical experience in such techniques as forest censuses, forest inventory, tree identification, wood classification, sawing techniques, and forest management plans.
Students have increased capacity to identify plant and tree species. The Amazon forest in the regions of Cobija and Riberalta is the most diverse forest in Bolivia, but unless individuals are trained in species identification, many of the resources will be overlooked. BOLFOR has therefore offered courses on tropical dendrology and vegetation systems. Students and professionals came from surrounding areas to learn how to identify tree and plant species. Now, the trainees are better equipped for future roles in the forest industry, to identify the species or review the censuses or inventory of a private company, an ASL, or a UFI.
Conclusion. At a time when hundreds of students across Bolivia were graduating with outdated knowledge and weak practical experience, BOLFOR stepped in to supplement the education of future foresters. Given the need for more cooperation and resources from within, the effect of reforming university curricula remains to be seen, but by offering training for professors and university students, BOLFOR continues to support the universities in the hopes that one day university programs will truly provide the training every future forester should receive.
A2c. Future Training Needs
Bolivian universities with forestry programs are still in need of much training and technical assistance. For instance:
• Professors need to be better trained in their thesis advisory role. • Business administration should be made a mandatory component of forestry education. • Universities need more support.
Professors need to be better trained in their thesis advisory role. Responding to an overwhelming need, BOLFOR stepped in to provide thesis grants to students; these cover expenses like equipment and travel and also give them access to a thesis advisor. Thesis research is an excellent opportunity for students to practice the research methodologies they have learned, and it should be viewed by universities as a priority. Universities must now require professors to guide and support thesis students more.
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Business administration training should be made a mandatory component of forestry education. As the forestry industry of Bolivia moves into a new phase, students seek to learn about business administration, specifically management, organizational structure, accounting, and marketing. As the forest sector seeks to grow financially while sustainably managing the forest, effective business administration plays a vital role in the success of the industry. University professors should be trained in business administration so that forestry students can get the business education they need on at least a basic level.
Universities need more support. Universities in Pando and Beni are still in desperate need of training and technical assistance on even the most basic forestry management topics. By giving universities throughout Bolivia the tools to offer forestry training, training would have a broader reach, giving distant actors more opportunity to strengthen the quality of the forestry professionals who graduate from their universities.
Conclusion. There is still much work to be done with Bolivian universities. While BOLFOR is focused in Santa Cruz, forestry universities are scattered throughout Bolivia and are in desperate need of continued training, support, and new curricula. Professors and administrators need guidance on how to incorporate business administration into courses of study. One of the largest current challenges for the students is finding funding and guidance to complete the required thesis.
A3. Private Sector
A3a. Background
The private sector is made up of forest users and service providers. There are four types of forest users:
• Industrial concessionaries • Private landowners • Groups of small producers (ASLs) • Indigenous groups (TCOs)
In this section, we discuss what we have learned about the first two groups of users.
The new forestry law had extreme financial implications for the private sector because it set technical norms and standards that must be met to obtain and then retain forest use rights. It was left to the private sector to determine how best to meet these standards and maintain a viable business.
Forest users were no longer allowed to take the old “cut-and–run” mining approach to forestry; they had to adhere to the sustainable forest management scheme. The new Bolivian paradigm is profitable, though perhaps not as profitable as the old way of operating with little control or regulation. It also allows companies to reduce costs through better planning and operating in smaller areas. However, the law allows companies to harvest only a certain percentage of each
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species, meaning that companies must also harvest lesser-known species that bring lower prices than money-making woods like mahogany.
A3b. Impacts
The direct impacts of BOLFOR’s training on the private sector include:
• Improved technical forest management • Increased understanding of certification procedures and benefits • Reduced costs with increased productivity • Improved classification • Improved accounting and financial management systems.
Improved technical forest management. To be eligible to harvest a concession, the recipient must have its management plan approved. Since this was a new requirement of the forestry law, most companies were unsure of how to begin. Shortly after the new law was enacted, BOLFOR began offering technical assistance and training tailored to the new norms and standards, including how to be in compliance through management plans, censuses, and inventories. This training has contributed to the drafting of every private company’s management plan, making it possible for the companies to obtain their concessions.
Increased understanding of certification procedures and benefits. Forest certification, the “green seal,” is an effective way to protect forest resources because it requires companies to manage their forests sustainably. It also gives them access to a market for certified wood products. Currently 10 percent of forests are certified in Bolivia—more than in any other country in the tropics. Certification has been a major driver of the BOLFOR project, and many advances in certification are the result of BOLFOR training.
BOLFOR created the Bolivian Council for Voluntary Certification (CFV) as the institution charged with promoting voluntary certification. It has also worked extensively with the Center for Research and Renewable Natural Resources Management (CIMAR) and certification bodies like SmartWood to offer training on certification. Certification workshops discuss everything from identifying markets for certified timber to the potential for certification in indigenous communities.
With these organizations BOLFOR has worked to train a core group of professionals to evaluate concessions seeking certification. Whereas previously all evaluators had to come from outside Bolivia, evaluation teams now consist of Bolivian specialists and a foreign team leader. The training has also reduced the costs of certifying and monitoring forest operations. In recent years, nearly 40 forest certification evaluators have been trained; they now form a nucleus of professionals at the disposal of certification agencies like SmartWood. These evaluators are trained to perform both annual and five-year certification-renewal evaluations.
Although certification is primarily an effort to cushion blows to the environment, certification training also emphasizes the financial benefits of certified forest products to elicit interest from,
14 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC. and incentives for, the forestry industry. Currently, eight companies in Bolivia are certified and many more are working towards certification.
Certification training has helped to institutionalize training within businesses. When businesses are given the knowledge they need to become certified, they can pass it on to others. Take as an example the wood company CIMAL, which has already certified 400,000 hectares and is in the process of certifying another 300,000 hectares. BOLFOR trained a group of CIMAL employees on the process of certification; these employees, well-versed in the process from their experience in getting the first concession certified, then trained another group of employees who were working towards certification of another concession.
With the help of BOLFOR, CIMAL also welcomed a study tour of the AFOMASAM ASL of San Miguel. This gave the company an excellent opportunity to begin acting as a mentor in the industry so that others may benefit from its experience with the certification process and its technical expertise. CIMAL hopes to host additional study tours in the future.
Reduced costs and increased productivity. Because some extremely high costs, such as transportation, are unavoidable, timber companies are constantly in search of ways to reduce costs. BOLFOR has been instrumental in providing training in cost-reduction procedures and in increased productivity and efficiency.
Several companies have seen significant improvement after receiving training in drying schedules and sawing strategies. Improving drying schedules allow companies to dry more wood in less time, thus increasing productivity. Roberto Sainz, general manager of the San Martin wood processing company, observed that since BOLFOR’s training on dry kilns, the company has cut wood drying time nearly in half, reducing drying costs by 10 to 15 percent.
Training in efficient sawing methods has reduced both wood waste and the costs of materials like glue that are needed in less quantity if pieces are cut more precisely. The San Martin Company has seen a 7 to 8 percent reduction in the amount of wood wasted and a 14 to 15 percent reduction in gluing. Together, there is a savings of almost $50,000 annually.
As a result of learning new ways to cut wood in the sawing practices workshop, the company has seen a 2 percent increase in production in one species, Cuta. The sawmill operators then applied their training to two more species, Cambara and Angelim, with the hope of reducing costs here as well.
Improved classification. An important aspect of product marketing is accurate classification of the wood a company has in inventory. Before BOLFOR training, companies were classifying wood somewhat haphazardly; after wood classification training, many companies felt confident that their classifications were more accurate. A buyer typically has its own classifier inspect the wood before a purchase. Recently, many companies have found that the classifications are more closely matched, making selling and buying much more efficient.
Conclusion. An unstable economy continues to plague a private sector that is desperately searching for ways to cut costs and improve productivity. The fragile economic environment
BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS 15 CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC. makes it difficult to measure the long-term financial effects of BOLFOR training on the private sector; companies whose efficiency is improving are still seeing lower sales and exports. Nevertheless, they plan to continue to push forward in the hopes of a brighter economic future for the sector and for Bolivia.
A3c. Future Training Needs
The private sector still needs much training and technical assistance in:
• Marketing and product development • Business administration • Species identification • Technical skills
Marketing and product development. Many businesses have already received extensive training in forest management, harvest procedures, and measures to increase efficiency. They now want to learn how to move to the next level. They are unsure of what foreign markets expect and how to penetrate them. Future training should cover: “The forest sector in Bolivia can be compared to a child. It finally knows • The inner workings of foreign markets how to walk, but it doesn’t know where • Systems of wholesalers and retailers to go and can’t yet walk alone.”
• Cross-cultural issues like meeting etiquette Marcos Gomez, Engineer, BOLFOR, • Client support La Paz • Access to and use of market information.
Business administration. Many timber companies are small family-run companies. It is vital that they be trained in business administration to ensure that they run efficiently in every aspect, from sending out invoices to logging efficiently. This will help them to self-diagnose many problems they may not have seen before.
One wood company director mentioned that his accounting department had misplaced several invoices and vendors were not being paid on time, forcing them to call him to seek payment. He considered this troubling because it affects the reputation of his business. With business administration training, companies can create administrative and quality assurance systems to combat problems like this. Companies should receive training in such topics as:
• Quality control and quality assurance procedures • Hiring and training procedures • Customer service • Administration • Organization
Species identification. Many of the people working in the forests are not foresters, and those charged with identifying trees do so haphazardly and often incorrectly. This can have grave consequences: Some companies are marketing wood, only to find out that they do not even have that type within their concession. The Amazonian Center for Sustainable Forest Enterprise
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(CADEFOR) hopes to begin working with the Brazilian Environmental Agency (IBAMA), which has a well-established capacity to identify trees, a strong laboratory, and other advanced wood technology. CADEFOR is a Bolivian nonprofit working to help Bolivian certified forest enterprises to export their products successfully. It believes the forest sector should call on the knowledge of the Brazilians to train at least 100 “trailblazers” who can identify the wood in different regions.
Technical training. The private sector will always need continuous technical training in a variety of topics, among them forest management plans, inventories, censuses, wood felling, and geographic positioning systems (GPS) and other mapping systems.
Conclusion. As the forest sector begins to change its forest management emphasis, forest products companies are looking to market their products more widely and efficiently. They will need training on how to compete in regional and international markets, but before a sale is made, each company must feel confident that the inner workings of its business can support large orders. Companies must have solid organization and administration systems, to make sure they can provide excellent service to their clients and deliver quality products on time.
Bolivia has received international attention for its extensive sustainable forestry campaign, so the private sector must uphold its reputation through good salesmanship and quality service. Many businesses admit they do not have enough resources dedicated to marketing their products and are uncertain how to proceed in the complicated and competitive foreign market, but they are eager to prepare their businesses for effective and profitable marketing. Training will play a vital role in guiding this process.
A4. Local Social Groups (ASLs)
A4a. Background
Through the 1996 Forest Law 1700, the Government of Bolivia agreed to grant forest concessions to local social groups (ASLs) to harvest and sustainably manage plots of land. ASLs are groups of at least 20 members who have depended on forest resources in the past. They act as microenterprises in selling their timber and distributing the benefits among their members.
To form an ASL, the members must:
• Work with the municipal government to identify a harvestable area of forest • Elect a board of directors and draft statutes and regulations • Submit the names of the members to the municipality with a statement certifying that all meet the eligibility requirements • Submit a request to the municipality to grant them the forest concession
The municipality then sends the documents to the Ministry of Sustainable Development for approval. ASLs are granted the concession for 40 years, paying an annual land-use tax of approximately $7/hectare.
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Upon receiving the concession, the ASLs must:
• Conduct a forest census • Complete a forest inventory • Prepare an annual forest operation plan • Prepare a general forest management plan
Each year, the ASL elects a board of directors, with a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and sometimes spokesperson. The ASL also elects the operations team, which must include four specialists, for inventories and censuses, market development, land use, and administration and organization.
BOLFOR has been providing training and technical support to ASLs since 1998. In 2001 regional offices were opened in Ixiamas, San Ignacio de Velasco, and San José Chiquitos to provide better support to the ASLs. Besides offering training, BOLFOR provides financial assistance for ASLs to Thick forests along the river in complete their first forest census and inventory. San Pedro We interviewed BOLFOR staff in Ixiamas and San Ignacio de Velasco to discuss their work with the local ASLs, and interviewed members of nine ASLs in Concepción, Ixiamas, San Ignacio de Velasco, and San Miguel to assess the impacts of BOLFOR training and future training needs.
The BOLFOR office in Ixiamas works with seven ASLs, many of them formed two or three years ago, but all at different levels of administration and organization. The San Ignacio de Velasco BOLFOR office actively supports 16 ASLs, most of them created fairly recently and not very well organized.
A4b. Impacts of BOLFOR Training
Direct effects of BOLFOR training for ASLs include the following:
• Clearer understanding of how to form an ASL • Improved understanding of the forestry law • Deeper knowledge of sustainable forestry management • Increased familiarity with the certification process • Improved organizational systems • Increased exchanges between ASLs • Installation of accounting and financial management systems “Thanks to BOLFOR we Clearer understanding of how to form an ASL. Several ASL were able to form an ASL.” members commented that the BOLFOR workshops about the Perci Barbery, President, process of forming an ASL were instrumental in their being able to Concepción ASL
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form a group and apply for a concession. BOLFOR publishes a brochure about how to form an ASL that is distributed to training participants during each course. The process of forming an ASL is complex; without BOLFOR, information about how to form an ASL would not be readily available.
Improved understanding of the forestry law. After ASLs are formed, BOLFOR offers a workshop to explain the forestry law and describe the ASL’s responsibilities. These courses have been extremely effective. ASL members stated that they now know about how to comply with the law. UOB and UFM representatives in turn stated that a major impact of BOLFOR training has been that they understand the law and can help the ASLs comply with it.
Deeper knowledge of sustainable forestry management. The technical training courses in Ixiamas and San Ignacio have been extremely well-received. ASL members stated unanimously that before BOLFOR training they knew very little about sustainable forest management techniques.
The highly successful three-week comprehensive forest management course has been delivered annually in several locations throughout Bolivia. The course combines theory and practice; the amount of fieldwork is significant. When they complete the course, participants are certified as assistant forest engineers. The course modules are:
• Ecology and forest management • Forest inventories • Planned forest use • Silviculture • Participatory forest management planning
BOLFOR has also been offering short technical training courses for ASL members. These courses focus on censuses, inventories, land use, mapping, and GPS. Participants have high “The courses have been praise for these courses. They commented that the combination of excellent. How would we have theory and practice was extremely valuable. The people we been able to do our work interviewed all stated that those who participated in the technical without these courses?” training courses are now able to conduct a census and inventory and Florinda Jiménez, prepare a forest management plan. President, El Cedro ASL One of the greatest impacts of BOLFOR training is that now ASLs can conduct censuses and inventories, harvest timber more efficiently, and prepare management plans when before they could not. Though the ASLs still generally hire outside experts to help with the censuses and inventories and with timber harvests, for the most part, the ASLs feel very confident in their technical knowledge and their compliance with the forestry law.
Increased familiarity with the certification process. In conjunction with the CFV and SmartWood, BOLFOR has been delivering training courses on the certification process and on- the-job training to help get interested ASLs certified. BOLFOR staff organized a study tour for the AFOMASAM ASL to visit the certified company Cimal in Santa Cruz, after which the ASL decided to begin the certification process.
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Given the current economic situation, many ASLs are not yet motivated to become certified because there is no market for their products. We expect that with time to see many of the BOLFOR-trained ASLs become certified.
Improved organizational systems. Before forming ASLs, most of their members worked independently in the forestry industry. The forestry law required that these people band together to form ASLs if they wanted to continue to harvest wood. This has proved Certified wood in San Miguel very difficult because ASL members have had to transition from an individual mind-set to a collective mentality.
It is clear to BOLFOR staff that there is a direct relationship between how well an ASL is organized and the types of products it sells. Better-organized ASLs sell more value-added products; other ASLs tend to sell the rights to trees. To help the ASLs become capable of selling higher-value products, BOLFOR has worked to strengthen their organizations through such courses as:
• Roles and responsibilities of elected ASL officials • Conflict management • Leadership • Communications
Although they see needs for additional training, many ASL members said that they are now better organized and better able to work together to address conflicts. They stated that role-plays were especially effective at helping them manage conflicts and mediate discussion.
Increased exchanges between ASLs. Though some BOLFOR training is provided on-the-job or delivered to a single ASL, many workshops are offered to representatives of all the ASLs in the region. One side effect of BOLFOR training is that members of different ASLs have been able to meet each other and exchange their experiences.
Installation of accounting and financial management systems. Most ASL members had no experience with accounting, financial management, or contracts. Because ASLs function as microenterprises, they need strong administrative systems to manage their sales and expenditures. BOLFOR courses in administration include:
• Internal controls • Accounting • Budgeting • Writing business plans • Pricing • Contract preparation, review, and approval
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Older ASLs that have sold products have installed accounting and financial management systems after attending BOLFOR workshops, but the many ASLs that have not made any sales do not yet have such systems in place. We expect that once these ASLs have sales, they will apply what they learned in the training courses and install the necessary systems.
The administrative team leader for the Triumph ASL in Ixiamas showed us the budget he had put together for his ASL after attending an accounting course. He had detailed sales and expenses and had collected copies of all invoices and receipts. He was proud to demonstrate that he had applied what he had learned and was now able to effectively manage his ASL’s finances.
Several ASL members reported that before BOLFOR training, because they did not know how to price their goods, they typically lost money. In addition to offering pricing courses, BOLFOR staff have conducted on-the-job pricing training for ASLs. The ASL members said that they now set fairer prices and earn more money.
BOLFOR is continuing to work with ASLs to prepare, review, and approve contracts. Before the training courses, many ASL members did not see contracts as legally binding agreements. They did not realize the significance of a signature. BOLFOR has published a manual on how to prepare and review contracts that ASLs have found useful. BOLFOR has also provided on-the- job training by advising both buyers and sellers during negotiations and contract preparation. Some ASL members mentioned that they used to sign contracts without fully understanding them, but at the workshops they learned the importance of contracts and can now review contracts to make sure they include certain clauses.
Indirect impacts. In addition to the direct impacts of BOLFOR training, there have been several indirect impacts. Some training participants who have not been able to apply what they learned for their ASL have used it in other ways. For example, one woman, whose husband is a member of the Association for Industrial Woodworkers of San Miguel (AMAISAM ) ASL, had the opportunity to attend a BOLFOR accounting course. Because she is not a member, the work she has done has not benefited the ASL, but she now manages the finances of the secondary school for adults that she attends. She said that she would not have taken on these responsibilities had she not attended the BOLFOR training course.
Some participants have grown personally as a result of the training. For example, when one member of the El Cedro ASL in San Miguel attended primary school, she was discouraged from speaking up in class. When she first attended BOLFOR training courses, she was timid and reluctant to participate, share her opinions, or ask questions. Because BOLFOR training encourages group activities and participation, she said she has gained confidence and now feels comfortable speaking during ASL meetings and in her secondary school classes for adults.
Conclusion. Since BOLFOR began its work in this area, ASLs have been formed, learned how to sustainably manage the forests, gained a basic understanding of certification, organized themselves effectively, and put in place at least basic accounting and financial management systems. Though the ASLs have significant additional training needs, as a result of BOLFOR training they have emerged as functioning associations in compliance with the forestry law.
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A4c. Future Training Needs
BOLFOR has begun to create organizational profiles for the ASLs it supports. We recommend that these profiles be updated every six months and used to determine the training needs of individual ASLs. Because the ASLs vary in experience, development, and level of organization, their training needs can vary dramatically.
Among the subjects ASLs need to know more about are:
• Organization • Business administration • Marketing and product development • Sustainable forestry management
Organization. Many ASLs mentioned that they need to learn more about organization. Though the conflict management courses have been effective, some ASLs also asked for more workshops with new role plays and case studies and for more communications training that emphasizes communications between the board of directors and the members. ASLs that have not yet received leadership training asked for these courses especially for their boards of directors, who generally lack leadership or management experience. Several members commented that the directors do not communicate well and need help. Specific topics for both courses and on-the-job training could include:
• Record keeping • Human resources management • Writing position descriptions • Leadership • Communications
Business administration. BOLFOR offers ASLs both business administration workshops and on- the-job training. We recommend more on-the-job training, especially on accounting, financial management, and filing systems. One member asked that training be provided at the end of each year in analyzing budgeted versus actual expenses to identify how to could improve his ASL’s financial management systems.
There is a significant need for more help with contract drafting and review. Currently, BOLFOR itself writes many contracts for the ASLs; its role should be limited to training ASLs in contract management and reviewing. Courses in negotiation would also be useful. Specific topics for courses and on-the-job training could include: “The ASLs say they know how to manage • Taxes forests. Now they need • Loans to learn how to make a living from it.” • Budget projections • Internal controls Janet Hiza, Foundation for the Chiquitano Forest • Contract negotiation (FCBC)
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Marketing and product development. A common theme in conversations with ASL members was that they know how to manage the forests and need to spend more time and effort marketing. Many ASLs currently sell only rights to trees or unprocessed trunks; others ASLs have begun to sell processed lumber.
It is clear that ASLs need to learn about how to identify markets, design products, and market them. Many ASLs say that they simply do not know how to sell their products. This was a major concern voiced by the ASLs we met with and can be partially addressed through courses and on- the-job training on such topics as:
• Identifying domestic and international markets • Exporting • Marketing • Producing value-added products
Sustainable forestry management. Although most ASLs stated that they did not need much additional training in forest management, some felt otherwise. For instance, in Ixiamas, BOLFOR invited two members from each ASL to attend technical training courses. These ASLs requested training courses so that more members can take part in conducting the inventories and censuses and participate in the harvest. Specific courses and on-the-job training topics could include:
• Cartography • Use of such instruments as GPS • Wood technology, including kiln drying
Conclusion. Currently ASLs are very dependent on BOLFOR and its training courses. These organizations need to become more independent and learn to seek information on their own. If they are to survive, the ASLs need to feel confident in making their own decisions.
A5. Indigenous Community Groups
A5a. Background
Indigenous traditional lands (TCOs) are occupied by members of minority ethnic groups who collectively own the land and forests in their territories. Within a TCO, there are several indigenous forest units (UFIs). Members of TCOs tend to be engaged in subsistence farming, have little or no formal education, and lack the knowledge and skills to function in a market economy.
In 1996 passage of the INRA agrarian reform law gave indigenous peoples the right to commercially manage forests within a system of communal land rights. The law created indigenous homelands (TCOs), providing minority groups with a nontransferable communal title to their traditional territories.
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The 1996 forestry law gives such communities preferential rights to use forested areas on agrarian properties they possess. Indigenous groups can claim land parcels of up to 100,000 hectares and can manage major sectors of forest on a sustainable, community-based model. The communities must abide by the forestry regulations and write a management plan approved by the Forest Superintendency. Each UFI must pay an annual land-use tax of $1/hectare harvested— less than 5 percent of the tax paid by industrial concessionaires.
To operate under an approved forest management plan, the UFI must:
• Identify a plot of unclaimed forest • Conduct an inventory and census • Prepare and submit a forest management plan • Demonstrate that its members have reached consensus on the plan, its administration, and a system to distribute the benefits
Periodically, the UFI assembly elects a coordinator and four specialists, one each for administration and organization, marketing, censuses and inventories, and land use.
BOLFOR has been working with UFIs since 1998. Its support has included:
• Introductory workshops on the new forestry law to explain its implications for forest management in their areas • Technical training on forest management techniques • Organizational strengthening by defining roles and responsibilities of officers and members and formulating a method for distributing costs and benefits • Designing and implementing an entrepreneurial management system, including a policy manual and an accounting system.
BOLFOR’s regional offices in Ascensión de Guarayos, Ixiamas, and San Ignacio were opened to provide better support to UFIs as well as ASLs. The Ixiamas office works with three UFIs, the Guarayos office with five UFIs, and the San Ignacio office with three UFIs.
We discuss their work with the local UFIs with staff of the offices in Ixiamas and San Ignacio de Velasco. We also met with members of the Cururú community in Guarayos, the San Pedro community in Ixiamas, and the Tumupasa community in Tumupasa.
A5b. Impacts
Direct impacts of BOLFOR training on UFIs include the following :
• Increased familiarity with the new forestry law • Improved sustainable forestry management • Stronger organizational systems and better defined responsibilities • Improved business management • Enhanced income for some UFIs • Increased exchanges between UFIs
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• Enhanced professional development opportunities for community members
Increased familiarity with the new forestry law. Because the UFI communities are isolated, they had little or no knowledge that the forestry law was passed. When BOLFOR first began working with the communities, it first disseminated information about the new legislation and trained community members in their responsibilities.
Members of the Cururú and San Pedro communities commented that until the BOLFOR workshops they had no knowledge of the law. Now they understand how to comply with it.
Improved sustainable forestry management. BOLFOR has provided substantial technical training to the UFIs. Like the ASL members, community members have attended the comprehensive forest management course. BOLFOR has also offered a series of short technical training courses on censuses, inventories, land use, and mapping technologies. Training participants commented that the courses offered a solid mix of theory and practice.
Before BOLFOR training the communities did not depend on “We now know how to forestry as a source of income; now they are foresting the land sustainably manage our forests and we know we sustainably and generating income. Community members reported need to protect the that as a result of training they are able to conduct censuses and environment.” inventories and complete the timber harvest. They recognize that Freddy Howard Málaga, they need to care for animals and water resources in addition to the Legal Representative trees and that they must protect their natural resources while taking and Administration advantage of them. Specialist, San Pedro Community Last year, BOLFOR staff did most of the work for the censuses, inventories, and harvest. This year community members feel they are ready to do it themselves while BOLFOR staff observe.
Stronger organizational systems and better defined responsibilities. Unlike the ASLs, the UFIs have a communal mentality and have not had the same problems with conflicts within the organization, but the UFIs must elect directors, who each have assigned responsibilities. BOLFOR has worked with the communities to define these positions and offered some leadership training to community members. BOLFOR has also helped the communities write their rules so that now they can revise them on their own.
The directors we met with commented that, because of BOLFOR training, they now understand their responsibilities and feel they can effectively serve in their positions. They said that they understand the need for a division of labor and are working on acquiring specialized skills.
BOLFOR staff observed that the Cururú community is well organized, with little conflict. They have adopted the organizational structure promoted by BOLFOR with a coordinator and work groups responsible for censuses and inventories, administration, harvesting, and marketing. The directors recognize their responsibilities and act accordingly.2
2 From Peter Conkelton, “Diagnóstico Rápido de Cururú.”
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Improved business management. Business administration, accounting, and financial management courses have been extremely valuable for the UFIs. Because traditionally the indigenous communities have been involved only in subsistence activities, they have never before had businesses or finances to manage. It has been necessary for BOLFOR to help them understand how to act like a microenterprise.
BOLFOR training has explained the importance of financial management systems so the community members will understand why they must keep records and prepare budgets. This has been especially difficult since many members are illiterate, with little if any formal education.
Because of BOLFOR training courses, the San Pedro community has reached the point where it now uses an accounting system and prepares annual budgets. The Cururú community is beginning to put an accounting system in place.
According to BOLFOR staff, an important impact of the training has been that many UFIs now have a culture of transparency and fair distribution of income. In the past, there were many problems with corruption and poor internal controls.
BOLFOR has also offered contract training for the communities. The Salvatierra and Cururú communities in Guarayos can now negotiate sales and sign contracts. BOLFOR observes the business transactions but the community members conduct them.
Enhanced income for some UFIs. When those who are now members of the UFIs were engaged in subsistence farming, their communities did not have a way to make money. Forestry provides them with income. The most significant impact of BOLFOR’s training on the UFIs is that now they are able to sell their products and bring money into the community. The combination of BOLFOR training in forest management, organization, administration, and marketing is what has allowed them to do this.
In addition to distributing benefits among their members, some UFIs have embarked on community development projects; the Cururú UFI is working to buy a large community canoe and the San Pedro UFI is constructing a communal well.
Increased exchanges between UFIs. Often workshops for UFIs are held outside the community and representatives from several regional UFIs attend. This gives community representatives opportunities to work together and share their experiences. Several training participants commented that this exchange was valuable because they can learn from each other’s experiences with marketing and product development and forest management techniques.
Enhanced professional development opportunities for community members. In Cururú, a group of young community members took full advantage of BOLFOR workshops. They attended many courses and became knowledgeable members of their community. These young men were elected leaders because of the specialized skills they had acquired. Energetic and motivated, they are making significant positive contributions to their community.
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Finally, by working with BOLFOR staff, community members have gained confidence in their own ability to make decisions and do the forestry work. On-the-job training has given them practical experience in forestry management, which they now feel comfortable doing on their own. They feel empowered by their new financial opportunities and are excited to build their skills and improve their communities.
A5c. Future Training Needs
UFIs have a number of future training needs; among topics with which they need help are:
• Sustainable forest management • Community organization • Presentation skills • Business administration • Marketing and product development
Sustainable forest management. The UFIs need continued technical training on forest management on an as-needed basis. Some communities feel confident that they know how to conduct a census and inventory and harvest the land; others stated they were not ready for more advanced courses.
Some community members mentioned a need for technical training on the following topics:
• Silviculture • Logistics and transportation • Certification • GPS • Cartography
Community organization. Community members asked for additional organizational courses, especially in communication skills. Though UFIs are generally not plagued with the same inter- organizational conflicts as ASLs, how the directors communicate with community members could be improved. It is important that directors and those who have attended the training courses share what they have learned with other community members. Other leadership courses for UFI directors would also be extremely beneficial, in areas like consensus building and conflict management.
Presentation skills. Several members mentioned that they would like training in presentation skills. They understand that they need to be able to present themselves professionally to potential buyers and are not yet equipped to do so. One of the Cururú directors mentioned the need for Spanish language courses.
Business administration. BOLFOR should continue to focus on business administration training for the UFIs. Because most community members have very little education, it is not feasible for BOLFOR to train them to be certified accountants in short workshops. We therefore recommend that UFIs hire accountants to manage their finances. To demonstrate the importance of hiring an
BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS 27 CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
accountant, the UFIs need training that explains what an accounting system is, the importance of solid and transparent financial management, and the responsibilities of an accountant. It is important for participants to understand the purpose of the forms they must complete.
“Now that we know forest Though some of the UFIs are transparent and uncorrupt, others need management, we need to help in devising better internal controls. We recommend courses in the know how to act like a business.” importance of internal controls and on-the-job training to help communities create their own internal control systems. Daniel Cute, Coordinator, Cururú UFI It is also important that each community have an equitable system for distributing benefits from the sale of forest products. Basic math, accounting, and administration skills are required for such a system. The collective monitoring exercise conducted by BOLFOR staff with members of the Salvatierra community in Guarayos seems to have been effective in demonstrating transparency and helping participants design a benefit distribution system. We recommend that this activity be replicated with other communities, as it seems to be an effective way for community members to discuss financial records.3 Specific courses and on-the-job training could include:
• Basic mathematics • Basic accounting • Creating and monitoring budgets • Internal controls
Marketing and product development. One often-stated need is for product development courses. The communities want more value-added products. Currently, the Cururú community is selling only a few species of wood; the UFI wants to learn how to identify markets for the other species found in its forest. Now the UFI is selling only within the region; it would like to expand to the cities of Santa Cruz and La Paz. It wants to know what types of wood companies in other regions are buying as possible markets to increase sales.
BOLFOR is working with some UFIs to explore the possibility of getting certified. The demand for certified wood allows communities to sell their products for a higher price. Certification can also strengthen the way community organizations manage their forests. We recommend that UFIs be given workshops and on-the-job training on the value of certification and the certification process.
Conclusion. In general, BOLFOR training has worked to transfer technical skills from trainers to community members. For sustainable development, it is necessary to work with the communities to teach them how they can seek information on their own. We observed that future scenario activities are effective at empowering community members to make their own decisions. The activity of prioritizing community projects to undertake with the profits made from the harvest seemed especially effective.
3 Peter Conkleton, “Gender, Participation and the Strengthening of Indigenous Forestry Management.”
28 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Though ASLs and UFIs have both made significant advances as a result of BOLFOR training, both groups still struggle with making money. ASL members find it difficult to work together; serious disagreements can divide the associations. Poor organization and lack of communication between members cause them to lose sales opportunities and work less efficiently.
Because they are accustomed to communal living, members of UFIs do not generally find themselves in those types of conflict situations. They are able to organize themselves, communicate effectively, and come to a consensus on decisions. On the other hand, UFIs find it hard to run a business because many community members are undereducated and lack basic business administration skills. Generally, ASL members have at least primary education, are literate, and speak Spanish.
Though ASLs and UFIs face many similar problems and need similar training courses, their differences are significant and should not be overlooked.
B. Academic Scholarships
Since BOLFOR began, it has funded 17 long-term graduate degree and certification scholarships for forestry professionals. Four students are now completing their studies. The objective of the scholarship program is to build a cadre of Bolivians capable of designing and implementing sustainable forest management. The 16 students who have already received graduate degrees have indeed increased the base of forestry professionals in Bolivia and have made important contributions to the sector by conducting research, writing articles, training colleagues, and introducing new techniques to their organizations. These professionals returned to the forest sector in Bolivia and hold leadership positions at key institutions like the Forest Superintendency, associations and NGOs, universities, and private companies.
Because the Training Evaluation of 2000 looked closely on long-term academic scholarships, we looked at those scholarships that were awarded since that report. More detailed information on the program’s history and past scholarship recipients can be found in the Training Evaluation in Annex C.
Recently, BOLFOR has funded four more scholarships:
• Bonifacio Mostacedo, Ph.D., forest ecology, University of Florida, Gainesville. After funding Mr. Mostacedo’s M.S. in forest ecology at the University of Florida, BOLFOR decided to continue its investment in him by funding a Ph.D. program through December 2003 to strengthen his research and teaching capacity in ecology and forest silviculture. BOLFOR hopes that through his doctoral research on seed growth, he will help resolve some current problems in forest management, especially those related to regeneration of Bolivia’s tropical forests. BOLFOR also funded English as a Second Language (ESL) training for Mr. Mostacedo.
• Olvis Camacho, M.B.A., Central American Institute of Business Administration (INCAE), Costa Rica. As part of BOLFOR’s private sector initiatives, the project funded a scholarship for Olvis Camacho to receive his M.B.A. from INCAE. Mr. Camacho’s
BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS 29 CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
scholarship is part of an effort to encourage forestry professionals to become well-versed in business administration, with the ultimate purpose of creating business incentives for sustainable forestry. After he receives his degree, Mr. Camacho will support the Bolivian government by promoting sustainable management of forest resources. BOLFOR also funded summer ESL training at the University of Florida for Mr. Camacho.
• Betty Flores Llampa, M.S., tropical forest and biodiversity management and conservation, Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), Costa Rica. BOLFOR is funding the first year of Ms. Flores’s studies at CATIE. The scholarship will strengthen her academic formation in ecological research, specifically how forest management affects biodiversity. Upon completing her studies in December 2004, she will return to Bolivia to continue her work in the forest sector.
• José Carlos Herrera, M.S., natural resource ecology, Nacional Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). As there is currently only a small pool of biodiversity specialists with advanced degrees in Bolivia, BOLFOR is providing Mr. Herrera with a nominal monthly stipend to supplement his academic funding. After six years working as a wildlife specialist for BOLFOR. Mr. Herrera decided to pursue a graduate degree, identified a research project, and was accepted to UNAM. After his first year of study, Mr. Herrera returned to Bolivia to conduct his thesis research in the certified wood company La Chonta. He is expected to complete his research in June 2003 and will likely play an important role in forest conservation research when his studies are completed.
Exhibit III-3 gives a brief overview of each long-term academic student that BOLFOR has funded since the beginning of the project.
Exhibit III-3. Recipients of Scholarships for Graduate Study
Duration of Name Degree Training Institution Current Position and Employer Program Rudy Guzman M.S., forest CATIE, Costa Rica 24 months Technical superintendent, Gutierrez management Forest Superintendency Milton Cortéz M.A., tropical forestry CATIE, Costa Rica 24 months Director of the Tarija Office, Arellano management and Forest Superintendency silviculture Jaime Terán M.S., forestry and CATIE, Costa Rica 24 months National director of technical Cardozo tropical forest studies, Forest management Superintendency Roberto Quevado M.S., tropical forestry CATIE, Costa Rica 24 months Professor, UAGRM; Sopepi management and General secretary, Assn. of silviculture Forestry Engineers Carlos Caba M.S., forestry Chapingo 24 months Independent consultant Figueroa University, Mexico Milton Brozovich M.S., forest Chapingo 24 months Coordinator, National Project management University, Mexico for Controlled Fires, CARE, Bolivia Roberto Marcelo M.S., natural resource Colorado State 24 months National coordinator, Food Nuñez economics University, U.S. Security Program
30 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Duration of Name Degree Training Institution Current Position and Employer Program Lilian Painter Ph.D., sustainable forest Liverpool University, 24 months Project coordinator, Wildlife management England Conservation Society, Madidi National Park Edgar Ponce M.S., forest inventories Postgraduate 24 months Consultant to the Forest Coila College, Mexico Superintendency Bonifacio M.S. forest ecology UFI 24 months Doctoral candidate, UFl Mostacedo Ph.D. candidate, forest UFI ≥ 36 months ecology Roger Landivar M.A., environmental Yale University, 24 months Director, World Wildlife Fund, Vaca Díez studies, conservation U.S. Santa Cruz biology Freddy Contreras GIS Certification Instituto Agustín 9 months Forest management Sanjinés Codazzi, Colombia coordinator, BOLFOR Juan Pablo GIS Certification Instituto Agustín 8 months Forest management Baldivieso Codazzi, Colombia coordinator, BOLFOR Betty Flores M.S., tropical forestry CATIE, Costa Rica 24 months Llampa and biodiversity management and conservation José Carlos M.S., natural resource UNAM, Mexico 24 months Herrera ecology Olvis Camacho M.B.A. INCAE, Costa Rica 24 months Forest Superintendency
C. Thesis Grants
One of the biggest challenges for many Bolivian undergraduate university students is the requirement that they complete a thesis before graduating. Doing a thesis can cost as much as $2,500, and most students do not have such financial resources available. To fill this need, BOLFOR has awarded grants to 171 students (see Exhibit III-4 for thesis topics).
In addition to helping them earn degrees, the grants give students an excellent opportunity to practice the research methodologies and technical skills they have learned. They also allow students to come in contact with other researchers working on a forestry project. Research funded by BOLFOR has added to the body of knowledge on Bolivian forests, helping create more effective and sustainable forest management plans.
BOLFOR typically contributes at least 85 percent of the funds students need to finance the research and writing of their theses. It also lends students the equipment they need to complete their research and provides logistical support. BOLFOR’s technical staff serve as advisors and supervisors to the students and accompany them on their field research. While professors already advise on revision of student theses, we recommend that they play a larger role in advising students throughout the thesis process, striving to work with the students as directly and efficiently as BOLFOR has in the past.
BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS 31 CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Exhibit III-4. Theses Completed under BOLFOR Project
Thesis topic Number of theses Male Female Timber and non-timber forest products 35 29 6 Silviculture and ecology 64 44 20 Forest inventory 26 22 4 Tree felling 25 21 4 Social issues 8 4 4 Fauna 7 3 4 Forest economics and politics 4 3 1 Flora 2 1 1 Total 171 127 44
D. Gender
In the last three years BOLFOR has made a noticeable effort to involve women in forestry activities. Its goal for the extension period was to increase the participation of women by a modest amount. That has been done: Between 1994 and 2000, women comprised only 14 percent of BOLFOR trainees; between 2000 and 2003, 20 percent of trainees were women.
BOLFOR has recognized that there is a role for women within the forest sector, especially in the areas of business administration and organization. In the past, BOLFOR’s training courses focused on technical forest management. Because of the cultural division of gender roles, most women did not attend courses because they did not have any interest in working on forest censuses or inventories.
In the past few years, many courses on business administration have been offered, and women’s participation has been encouraged. Communities and associations now recognize that women can successfully manage the finances of organizations and can be strong leaders. They understand the importance of including women in forestry activities and encourage their participation in administrative tasks.
BOLFOR actively recruited women for the workshops by sending invitations specifically encouraging them to attend. Several women commented that they felt more comfortable attending the courses knowing that their attendance was specifically requested.
In the future, training providers should structure the time and location of training events to maximize participation. Some women commented that it is difficult for them to attend training courses because they are not available during the times courses are scheduled; several commented that it is more convenient for them to attend courses in the evening or on weekends. BOLFOR has tried to accommodate the schedules of all training recipients but should continue to try to schedule workshops during times when women are more likely to be available.
32 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Because of their family obligations, more women are able to attend training when it is held in their community. Community members stated that it is preferable and more effective when staff travel to communities to deliver courses, instead of inviting participants to neighboring towns.
In many UFI communities, the majority of women do not speak Spanish. At times, BOLFOR has hired interpreters so the women can understand the trainers. When interpreters have not been present, many women do not get much out of the course. We recommend that interpreters be present for all courses delivered to the UFIs.
It is evident that women want to become more involved in forestry activities. Several women mentioned that they would like to visit the forest concessions and observe the census or inventory so they can better appreciate the work of the men in the community. Women will be more supportive of sustainable forestry management if they understand the work.
BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS 33
SECTION IV
Recommendations and Conclusions
The quality and quantity of the training BOLFOR has provided to the forest sector in Bolivia are outstanding. BOLFOR training has created a cadre of true forestry professionals. It has helped create an honest, transparent public sector to regulate the forestry industry. It has supplemented outdated university curricula to better equip emerging foresters. It has helped bring together and organize ASLs and UFIs, giving them opportunities for income that did not exist in their communities before. BOLFOR has changed the face of the forest sector, helping stakeholders to push forward in an uncertain industry. It is our hope that BOLFOR II will work from where its predecessor has left off, continuing to offer timely, effective, and demand-driven training.
The recommendations below are based on suggestions made by people interviewed in both institutional and individual capacities. Some of them may make it possible for BOLFOR to enhance its training activities within the forest sector and have concrete lasting effects on both the Bolivian forest and the lives of training participants.
While we stand by the importance of each recommendation, we recognize that each has its own set of intricacies that need to be examined before it can be implemented. BOLFOR staff are familiar with past successes and lessons learned in the process of revising training strategies to make them more effective. We encourage them to apply their experience to the recommendations to strengthen their effectiveness.
Train the Trainers
No institution has the human or financial resources to reach every person with training needs in the forest sector. Therefore, as part of its exit strategy, we recommend that BOLFOR train key people within the forest sector in training techniques, to ensure that training continues after the end of the project.
As Exhibit IV-1 on the next page illustrates, BOLFOR staff are currently working as trainers throughout Bolivia within private companies, associations, government institutions, and communities. Selected people from those stakeholder groups could be invited to Training of Trainers courses to learn effective training methodologies based on the experiences of BOLFOR trainers with training in the field. These newly trained people would then be equipped to train their own staff and community members. In this way, BOLFOR staff would be relieved of the responsibility of training a large number of people and the training would be leveraged to reach even more participants.
To maintain quality control, BOLFOR should periodically evaluate stakeholder training to ensure that the content is still accurate and well delivered.
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Exhibit IV-1. Training of Trainers
Training of Trainers Workshop
ASL trainers UFI trainers SF trainers UFM trainers
ASLs UFIs SF UFM
Consistently Use Effective Training Methodologies
Because not all technical experts are strong trainers, it is vital that all BOLFOR trainers use training methodologies that have been proven effective in helping trainees receive often difficult information in the most digestible way possible. Trainers are pressured to meet numerical indicators, but unless effective training methodologies are used, training a set number of people in no way guarantees that even a small percentage of them leave the activity “trained.” In most of its workshops and seminars, BOLFOR is using effective methodologies, but it should strive to maintain continuity throughout all courses.
One common complaint of trainees was that Exhibit IV-2. Presentation vs. courses were too short; even though the courses Application kept getting longer and longer, the complaint continued. The problem most likely is not that the courses are too short but that they are too dense. Training participants need ample Application opportunity to practice the new material they Presentation learn. The standard guideline is that one-third of the training time should be used for presentation, leaving two-thirds of the time for application and practice (see Exhibit IV-2). This means that courses might cover less material but participants would leave the courses feeling more prepared to apply new skills and knowledge.
36 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Establish a “Course of Study” in Which Training Participants Can Be Certified in a Specific Area
Many people commented that the sequencing and frequency of BOLFOR training was often haphazard. People were unsure of when and where certain courses were going to take place and how they related to previous courses. Too often people kept attending the same class because they were unsure whether the class was different from a previous course. We recommend that BOLFOR establish a clear grouping of courses so that trainees can know which classes they should take to reach a certain level of understanding on a specific topic.
For example, business administration courses could be grouped together to form one business administration track. In addition, working towards some sort of certification, however informal, gives training more value, and the possibility of course certification gives trainees more incentives to use training for their own professional development. BOLFOR should also notify the employer when a participant has completed the course series.
Coordinate More Closely with the Universities
One of the needs most vocalized by all actors in the sector was for BOLFOR and other development projects to coordinate more closely with Bolivian universities. BOLFOR has been trying to do this for some time. A perceived obstacle was personal issues between leaders in the universities and BOLFOR staff that undermined coordination: BOLFOR faces resistance from some university administrators who feel the project is imposing on them rather than trying to help them. It is important to work through these obstacles because universities are permanent institutions staffed with many capable and dedicated people. They are an excellent and obvious choice for building the capacity of all forestry stakeholders throughout Bolivia.
Institutionalization of BOLFOR forestry training could begin with sustained cooperation with a select group of universities in different regions. They could coordinate more on updating curricula, having professors lead BOLFOR training activities, and organizing opportunities for professors to get more practical research experience.
Another way that BOLFOR could coordinate with universities and other public institutions is by giving certificates to training participants in the name of both BOLFOR and a Bolivian institution. Because BOLFOR is not a permanent institution in Bolivia, there is a need to give training certificates more “weight” so that participants see more value in the training and employers recognize their professional development efforts and accomplishments. BOLFOR should consider pairing with local institutions when giving training with the intention that the training would eventually become the responsibility of the local cosponsor. This would allow the institution to benefit from the experience and funding of BOLFOR so that it may be able to deliver the training independently.
Direct Training at Specific Audiences
After we met with people from different regions in Bolivia, the importance of adapting training courses to the needs of the audience became very clear. While people in Santa Cruz felt they had
BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS 37 CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
received plenty of forest management training and were ready to move on to marketing, those in Beni and Pando felt somewhat left behind, still in great need of even the most basic forest management training.
In addition, a training course may need to be very different for one ASL than another; the two may be at different levels of understanding and different stages of growing their business. Because women until recently have had very little participation in the forest sector, they may need different training than men in the community who have been working in the forest all their lives.
Institutionalize BOLFOR Training
Currently participants pay nothing for BOLFOR training. BOLFOR is practically the only institution that can afford to give free training. Institutionalizing training is difficult to consider without also considering the possibility of having participants contribute in some way to the cost of training.
While the scope of our work in Bolivia did not permit us to explore the intricacies of moving towards paid training, we do propose that the implementers of BOLFOR II research this possibility. Otherwise, training in everything from tree cutting to accounting may become a scarce resource for those who desperately need it, as no institutions will be able to take on the burden of funding it.
Document BOLFOR´s Training Experiences
BOLFOR has spent many years perfecting the variety of courses it has delivered. Staff have solid knowledge of how to train in the forest sector. They know, for instance, the best ways to train a community, which training exercises work and which do not, and how best to illustrate different points. The end of BOLFOR carries the danger that all this institutional knowledge will be lost and forestry training will start at zero.
To prevent the loss of so much work, we recommend that BOLFOR embark on a knowledge management campaign to capture course materials, lessons learned, and effective training tools that are currently being used but that are scattered over the minds and desks of BOLFOR staff.
Concluding remarks. Our three weeks of interviewing and traveling uncovered an undeniable truth about BOLFOR training: the forest sector would not be where it is today without the project. Achieving successful sustainable forest management takes time. Many of the effects of BOLFOR surely have not even begun to surface in an ever-changing national environment of different players and a fluctuating economy. BOLFOR has striven to educate the right people at the right time, hoping that its training will act as a motor that starts many other motors that will run on their own and start even more motors long after BOLFOR has gone.
38 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS 39
ANNEX A
List of Interviewees
APCOB Jürgen Riester, director Javier Bejarano O., field technician
ASL AFOMASAM David Corchero, vice president David Céspedes, field leader Lidia Laberan, secretary Nicador Poña, president
ASL AMAISAM Yobana Gomez, wife of a member
ASL Caoba Arturo San Antonio, president
ASL Cortadores Rómulo Pedraza, president
ASL de Concepción Perci Barbery, president
ASL El Cedro Florinda Jiménez, president Emma Yurucare, member
ASL El Triunfo Benedicto Chamaro, administration specialist
ASL Idiama Elvira Iturri, administration specialist
ASL San Antonio Marlene Molina, administration specialist
Association for Forestry Groups of Iturralde Moisés Huarachi, president
Association for ASLs of Gran Chiquitania William Jiménez, president
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BOLFOR - Guarayos Marcos Zeballos, commercialization specialist Alberto Claros, coordinator Mario García, organization and administration specialist Luis Vásquez, forest management specialist
BOLFOR – Ixiamas Arturo Naba, chauffeur Pablo Rodríguez, organization and administration specialist Germán Zenteno, forest management assistant Wilder Vásquez, coordinator
BOLFOR - La Paz Carlos Griffiths, R., attorney Marcos Gomez, engineer Javier Collao, forestry engineer
BOLFOR – Santa Cruz Peter Cronkleton, anthropologist Freddy Contreras, coordinator for forest management Hugo Franck M., coordinator for community forestry Robert Keating, consultant Raúl Lobo, coordinator for organizational development Orlando Melgarejo, forestry extensionist Patricia Miranda, gender and training specialist Preston Pattie, chief of party Marielos Peña, research coordinator Stephen Rosholt, monitoring and evaluation coordinator
BOLFOR San Ignacio Robert Grimaldo, forest management assistant Gonzalo Guzmán, commercialization specialist Hugo Piotti, coordinator Arturo Thompson, organization and administration specialist Maria Angela Vásquez, organization and administration specialist
CADEFOR Gerd Resnikowski K., executive director
CADEX Antonio Rocha, director
CADEX NOR, ABAN Oscar Chávez Durán, manager, ABAN José Luis Gutiérrez, quality control specialist
A-2 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
CFV Henry Alan Moreno S., executive director
Forestry Chamber of Bolivia Arturo Bowles Olhagaray, general manager
CIMAR Eduardo Hinojosa Velasco, agriculture and rural development coordinator Carlos Ruiz, forestry engineer
College for Forestry Engineering Roberto Quevedo, general secretary José Ledezma, forest management specialist
Peace Corps Kristen Evans, forestry volunteer
Bezerra Wood Processing Company Mario Becerra, general manager
CIMAL Wood Processing Company Edgar Lozano Ruiz, general manager Larry Hansler Bell, general manager
Mamore Cabrera Wood Processing Company Nelson Mariaca, forestry engineer
La Chonta Wood Processing Company Pablo Antelo, director
San Martín Wood Processing Company Roberto Sainz V., general manager
Sagusa Wood Processing Company Yaskara Hayashida Oliver, head, Forestry Department
ESFOR Ruth López Cruz, director Víctor Hugo Achá G., director Julio Vargas M., director Jaime Rivero M., forestry advisor
Chiquitano Forest Foundation Janet Hiza, coordinator for forestry projects
LIST OF INTERVIEWEES A-3 CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
José Manuel Pando Foundation Luis Villagra, field technician
INRA José Luis Delgado, agronomy engineer Lisandra Vaye, attorney
IPHAE Armelinda Zonta, director
MDSP Pablo Rodríguez, director
San Miguel Municipal Government Dick Dorado, mayor
Forestry Unit of the Prefecture of Pando Javier Vaca Salinas, forestry specialist Boris Delfin Calle Marzan, forestry engineer
PROMAB Galia Selaya, Ph.D. candidate Albert Bokkestijrl, general coordinator Jhon Gomez, researcher
Jatun Sacha Project Gregory Minnick, principal technical advisor Javier Ramallo Fernández, communications, extension, and education specialist
SBDA Ricardo Saucedo Borenstein, executive director
SmartWood Katherine Pierront, South American regional manager Freddy Peña, Bolivia coordinator
Forest Superintendency – Main Office Rudy Guzmán, technical specialist José Luis de Urioste T., institutional director and training coordinator
Forest Superintendency – Cochabamba Local Office Ana María Fernández C., forestry advisor Álvaro Pérez Bustamante, legal specialist Juan Carlos Medrano, forestry engineer
A-4 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Forest Superintendency – Pando Local Office José Luis Lorero, head, Pando office Jaime Sanchez Rosa, technical forestry specialist Rubén López Bustamante, technical forestry specialist
Cururú UFI Oscar Añenoinda, administration specialist Daniel Cute, forestry coordinator Bacilio Yamba, inventory and census specialist
San Pedro UFI Julio Dapara, coordinator Freddy Howard Málaga, legal representative and administration specialist Carlos Yuchina, coordinator
Tumupasa UFI Fernando Flores, coordinator
UFM – Concepción Arturo Montaño Dorado, specialist Mario Antelo Durán, specialist
UFM – Ixiamas Elio Garret, assistant Orlando Scaray, director
UOB – Guarayos Marcela Soroco, director
UOB - San Ignacio Ernesto Escalante, superintendent
Amazonian University of Pando Gualberto Torrico, herb specialist
Gabriel Rene Moreno University Pedro Saravia P., Fomabo project coordinator Milton Brosovich, professor Gregorio Cerrogrande, professor Durby Pedrazas, technical specialist Roberto Quevedo, professor Jaime Magne, professor
Technical University of Beni Guido Pardo, director, Forestry Course of Study
LIST OF INTERVIEWEES A-5 CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
USAID Barbara Belding, director, Office of the Environment
WWF Bolivia Roger Landívar, director
A-6 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS
ANNEX B
Map of Bolivia
Ixiam
Ascención de Concepci San
San
ANNEX C
Analysis of BOLFOR Training, 1994 – 2000
Annex 1 of USAID’s Request for Proposal requested an analysis of the effectiveness of BOLFOR’s training initiatives, including the impact on the government of Bolivia, universities, and private sector.
BOLFOR funded and delivered training events to develop a cadre of trained forestry professionals and technicians. Training activities were grouped around the three project components: policy and institutional strengthening, forest management, and development and marketing of timber and non-timber forest products.
BOLFOR delivered training to more than 5,400 people in a range of forestry, natural resource management, and conservation topics. We have provided four tables at the end of this section that summarize BOLFOR’s training activities by topic, participant gender, and institutions.
The project received positive feedback from participants on the content of training programs. At times, trainees had difficulty applying the information and techniques learned because of non- training barriers, such as an organization’s unwillingness to accept new methods.
A. Results
BOLFOR training activities have delivered the following results:
• Upgraded forest professional/technician skills. • Increased the number and caliber of forestry professionals in Bolivia. • Attracted national and international attention to Bolivia’s forests. • Established contacts between Bolivian forestry professionals and influential U.S. and Latin American colleagues. • Increased research on Bolivian forestry issues. • Promoted contemporary models of sustainable forest management. • Introduced new techniques, such as reduced-impact logging and conducting forest inventories and censuses. • Municipal producer groups (ASLs) and indigenous groups (TCOs) implemented forest management plans. • Increased institutional capacity of the Forest Superintendency. • Facilitated changes in the Forestry Law, regulations, and technical standards.
B. Training Impact
BOLFOR interviewed a small sample of people who participated in or are familiar with BOLFOR’s training activities. In BOLFOR’s view, the following activities had the greatest impact on the participants, their organizations, and the forest sector in Bolivia:
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• Academic scholarships • Thesis grants • In-country technical training courses
Below, we discuss the impact at the individual and organizational levels.
B1. Impact at the Individual Level
B1a. Academic Scholarships
BOLFOR funded 13 long-term academic scholarships for forest sector professionals for graduate degrees or certification courses. The objective was to develop a professional cadre of Bolivians capable of designing and implementing sustainable forest management. The 13 students who received graduate degrees from non-Bolivian universities greatly increased the base of forestry professionals in Bolivia and have made important contributions to the forest sector by conducting research, writing articles, training colleagues, and introducing new methods and techniques to their organizations. These individuals returned to the forest sector in Bolivia and hold leadership positions at key institutions. Three of the scholarship recipients currently work at the Forest Superintendency, two at other public sector organizations, three at nongovernmental organizations, two at BOLFOR, and one at a private sector company. Below, we provide a few examples of the impact this training had:
Rudy Guzman, M.S. in forest management, Tropical Studies Organization (CATIE), Costa Rica
Mr. Guzman entered the forest management program with eight years of tropical forest experience and familiarity with the technical aspects of forest management. His thesis was on classification of tree species in the subtropical forests of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Upon finishing his program, Mr. Guzman worked for the BOLFOR project for six months, then took a top position at the Forest Superintendency, where he is the technical superintendent.
Mr. Guzman reports that the degree helped him professionally because it gave him a strong advantage when he entered a competitive job market after graduating. He has written books and reports on sustainable forest management, ecological characteristics of tree species in seasonally dry forests in Lomerío, Bolivia, and methodologies for assigning ecological groupings for tree species in tropical forests. He believes the USAID-funded scholarships are very important, because they allow young, motivated Bolivian professionals to study at prestigious universities outside Bolivia.
Juan Pablo Baldivieso, geographic information systems (GIS) certification, Instituto Geografico A. Codazzi, Colombia
Mr. Baldivieso’s program focused on scientific methods for GIS and their application to forestry, biology, agronomy, and geography. Prior to attending the certification course, Mr. Baldivieso worked for the Forest Development Center (CDF) in Santa Cruz. When he returned to Bolivia, PANFOR, an ITTO project supporting the public sector, offered him a position as a GIS specialist. He applies the knowledge he gained by managing forest information and working with
C-2 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC. a database containing geographic information on land concessions. He reports that because of the skills he acquired during the certification program, he has been able to develop PANFOR’s forestry mapping project more efficiently and accurately.
Roger Landivar, M.A. in environmental studies and conservation biology, Yale University, United States
Prior to studying in the United States, Mr. Landivar worked as a volunteer for a local conservation nongovernmental organization. He applied for the scholarship because he wanted formal academic training in conservation biology and could not obtain this degree at a Bolivian university. He said the program was an excellent match, and although Yale’s program did not focus on the neo-tropics, it was not difficult to apply the more general knowledge he gained to his work in Bolivia. Mr. Landivar’s program emphasized the application of public policy to forestry and wildlife conservation. The program helped him establish contacts with influential U.S. and Latin American colleagues.
After completing his graduate degree, Mr. Landivar took a leadership position with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), serving as conservation director. He believes he would not have been hired by WWF if he did not have an M.A. from Yale. Because he is the only employee of WWF with a background in public policy, Mr. Landivar has many opportunities to apply this knowledge, by working with the public and private sectors to implement forest and wildlife conservation strategies. He also assisted in developing the organization’s forestry certification program. Mr. Landivar sees the long-term academic scholarships as integral to the professional development of individuals in the Bolivian forest sector. The scholarships allow the students to study subjects not taught at Bolivian universities, which diversifies the specialties of Bolivian forestry professionals.
Milton Brozovich, M.S. in forest management, Universidad de Postgraduados, Mexico
Mr. Brozovich applied for the scholarship because he wanted to learn about forest management, management plan development, and sustainable silviculture techniques. He was very satisfied with the program and was especially interested in the department’s economic focus. He wrote his thesis on the diminution of a species of pine trees in Hidalgo, Mexico. Currently, Mr. Brozovich works for CARE Bolivia as coordinator of the National Project for Controlled Fires. For the most part, he has been able to apply the techniques he learned at the university. The Forest Superintendency advocates only one model of forest management planning, however, so he is not able to apply all the techniques and knowledge he gained. Mr. Brozovich has written several articles for Forest Science journal and has shared his technical knowledge with Bolivian professionals by teaching them how to design forest management plans.
Edgar Ponce, M.S. in Forest Inventories, Universidad de Postgraduados, Mexico
When Mr. Ponce applied for the scholarship, he was working for the Center for Forest Development – Tarija, a public sector organization. As part of the program, Mr. Ponce spent several months conducting fieldwork in Mexico, where he was able to apply the techniques he learned at the university. Mr. Ponce currently works as an independent consultant to the Forest
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Superintendency. He feels frustrated because he is not able to apply the knowledge he gained at the university. He says the Bolivian forest sector will not accept new methods of designing forest management plans, feels very comfortable with the techniques currently in use, and does not believe in a need to change. Mr. Ponce tries to incorporate economics into the management plans he develops, but others will not accept his analysis because they do not believe it is integral or critical. To introduce new methodologies for the development of forest management plans, Mr. Ponce is writing a book on methods of evaluation of forestry resources, applying the knowledge he acquired at the university.
These scholarship recipients returned to Bolivia and form part of a growing group of highly trained and knowledgeable specialists working in a variety of forestry organizations, promoting the current models of sustainable forest management. Table 3 demonstrates that all 13 recipients of long-term academic scholarships returned to Bolivia and now hold leadership positions in Bolivian forestry-related organizations. The degrees these individuals earned outside Bolivia are highly respected, and the participants were able to gain important knowledge and skills while attending graduate school. To have a greater impact by generating more research on Bolivian forestry, USAID and BOLFOR should fund future scholars to conduct research in Bolivia.
BOLFOR also provided five indigenous professionals from Lomerío with scholarships to study at Bolivian universities. One man and one woman studied accounting at Domingo Savio Institute in Santa Cruz from 1996 to 1998. They studied business administration because Lomerío has many excellent forestry experts, but few trained accountants. Both individuals are currently working with TCOs, applying their accounting skills, and one returned to Lomerío. BOLFOR funded another student from 1997 to 1999 to earn a forestry technician degree. Tragically, he was killed shortly after completing his degree. One man and one woman are studying forestry for a third year at Escuela Técnica Superior Forestal in Cochabamba. They began the program in 1998 and will complete the degree in 2001. The students frequently return to their villages to share the technical forest management skills they have learned.
B1b. Thesis Grants
BOLFOR awarded grants to 148 students for nine months of thesis research at Bolivian universities. According to Dr. Sachs, consultant to the Viceministry of Natural Resources and Environment, prior to 1994, only 8 percent of forestry students at Bolivian universities completed their theses. Of the students funded by BOLFOR, 114 (80 percent) completed their theses, and 5 are currently funded to conduct thesis research. The theses are widely read by Bolivian forest sector professionals. In addition to helping these students earn degrees, research funded by BOLFOR has added to the body of research on Bolivian forests and helped create more effective and sustainable forest management plans.
The Forest Superintendency maintains a list of highly qualified registered forestry professionals whom it hires for projects. Of the 148 professionals on the Forest Superintendency’s list, 18 (19 percent) received thesis funding from BOLFOR, and 81 percent took advantage of BOLFOR training. This demonstrates that a number of the most well-respected Bolivian forestry specialists received financial and logistical support from BOLFOR.
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Borys Veizaga, an independent consultant to the Forest Superintendency, received funding from BOLFOR to write his thesis on the preliminary determination of diameter increments in the Elías Menese experimental forest in El Choré, Bolivia. Like many students at Universidad Gabriel Rene Moreno, he was of limited financial means and would not have been able to complete his thesis without BOLFOR support. He believes continuation of the BOLFOR thesis grant program is critical, as it has a great impact on Bolivian forestry graduate students and the forest sector.
Ing. Jaime Magne is the Director of the Forestry Department at Universidad Gabriel Rene Moreno. During the past seven years, he encouraged many students to apply for thesis grants through BOLFOR. He believes the thesis grant program is the most important activity of the project. BOLFOR is the only organization providing funding for thesis research and writing, and because of these grants, many students are now able to complete their degrees.
Although the funding per student is minimal ($850 – $1,600), the project contributes enough money for the students to finance the research and writing of their theses. BOLFOR’s technical staff serve as advisors and supervisors to the students as they complete their theses and accompany students on their fieldwork research. Follow-on support provided to students by BOLFOR includes lending them research and camping equipment while they conduct fieldwork and use of the computers and resources in BOLFOR’s library. Please see Table 4, which categorizes the topics of the completed theses.
B1c. In-country Technical Training Courses
During the past seven years, BOLFOR conducted 318 in-country training activities, averaging nearly one per week and training 5,323 individuals, including 753 women, on specific aspects of sustainable forest management. Of the total participants, more than 2,500 attended more than one activity. Courses included, among others:
• Forestry Legislation • Tropical Dendrology • Conducting a Forest Inventory • Quality Control and Wood Classification • International Marketing and Product Certification • Research Methodologies • GPS/GIS/Surfer • Forest Management Plans • Forest Censuses • Forest Annual Operating Plan • Forest Administration • Wildlife Management and Conservation • Social Organization
The courses have direct application to sustainable forest management and conservation in Bolivia. Because the techniques taught at Bolivian universities are not necessarily modern methods of forest management, BOLFOR’s training programs play an important role in
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introducing the forest sector to new methodologies. Materials and handouts given during the courses provide useful resources for attendees and allow them to share information with others.
BOLFOR sponsored two international conferences on natural forest management. The conference in 1996 drew more than 50 attendees and focused on the effects of logging on wildlife management. In 1997, the project sponsored an international symposium on sustainable forest management in the Americas, and more than 160 people attended. Additionally, the project organized two smaller international events in 1997: a regional wildlife congress and a meeting on investment in the private forest sector. These events brought international attention to Bolivia’s forests and encouraged non-Bolivian forestry professionals to become involved in the issues currently facing Bolivia.
B2. Impact at the Organizational Level
B2a. Government of Bolivia
As discussed in Section II, BOLFOR’s approach was to train professionals and technicians of the national and regional forestry agencies.
The Forest Superintendency utilizes BOLFOR’s training programs as professional development opportunities for its staff and registry of foresters. BOLFOR provided training to 28 field officers of the Forest Superintendency. These courses were on inspecting and evaluating field-level forest management activities. More than 81 percent of forestry professionals registered to the superintendency received training or the thesis grant funding from BOLFOR. This demonstrates that the superintendency places a high value on BOLFOR training. As a highly respected and influential public sector institution, the superintendency is critical for the continuation of BOLFOR’s training activities. José María Camarcho, technical administrator, Forest Superintendency, Santa Rosa, attended 10 courses and workshops offered by BOLFOR. He said these courses provided him with a strong knowledge base about forest management. He reports that he gained more technical and practical skills and techniques in these courses than he did at the university.
BOLFOR trained professionals at 16 municipalities to manage forest reserves. Because the majority of the Municipal Forestry Unit staff are not specialized in silviculture, BOLFOR provided forest management technical training to these organizations. Topics included GIS, forest mapping, forest inventories, and censuses. BOLFOR provided training to these municipalities so they could better support local ASLs in creating sustainable forest management plans.
B2b. Universities
BOLFOR supported Bolivian universities in Cochabamba, Tarija, Santa Cruz, Pando, and Beni by offering onsite short technical seminars for students and professors. BOLFOR offered the seminars because the universities did not have professors qualified to teach these subjects. As seen in Table 2, more than 1,000 students and professors attended BOLFOR training. These courses exposed the students to a wide array of forestry techniques and methodologies.
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Many BOLFOR staff and beneficiaries of BOLFOR training have positions as adjunct professors at Bolivian universities. This is beneficial to the universities, because these individuals are highly trained in contemporary techniques of sustainable forest management.
B2c. Private Sector
More than 1,000 private sector employees have attended workshops or courses offered by BOLFOR. A BOLFOR study shows that more than 65 percent of private sector participants report that they utilized techniques they learned during BOLFOR training programs. The new skills most frequently cited were:
• Forest inventories to provide input for the development of management plans • Strategies to monitor the effects of sustainable silviculture techniques • Low-impact tree felling practices
Empresa Tarumá, a large lumber company, is a BOLFOR training beneficiary. Alvaro Bazoalto of the Forestry Operations Department at Empresa Tarumá has attended several activities and encourages his staff to take advantage of these opportunities. He believes local foresters have benefited most from the training programs.
Mr. Bazoalto sees less impact on the administrative and field staff, because they resist implementing the new techniques. They are not willing to dedicate the time or effort it would take to implement the techniques acquired. Because he has high employee turnover, Mr. Bazoalto asked BOLFOR to deliver the same set of training every year.
B2d. ASLs and TCOs
BOLFOR designed a training program for municipal producer groups (ASLs) to provide theoretical and practical training on developing forest management plans. BOLFOR staff work with eight ASLs in Santa Cruz and three in La Paz. They provide courses for ASLs on:
• Cartography • Forest inventories • Forest censuses • Global positioning systems (GPS) • Forestry law • Technical standards • Development of forest management plans • Software programs for forest inventories, censuses, and cartography • Internal organization, administration, and accounting
According to José Lediezma, who works with ASLs for the BOLFOR project, these groups find the training very beneficial, because they are obligated by the government to develop forest management plans but do not have the skills or knowledge to do it. BOLFOR also trains municipalities so they can support the ASLs and provide training to them.
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The indigenous groups (TCOs) have benefited from training programs conducted by the BOLFOR project. Activities designed for TCOs are very practical and take a hands-on approach. Jaime Galarza works for FUNDFORMA with the Yuquis in Cochabamba. He organizes training to take place in the local communities. Instead of presenting the information in a classroom format, trainers work with participants to develop a forest management plan or demonstrate how to conduct an inventory of trees. Mr. Galarza reports that the Yuquis have asked BOLFOR to provide institutional strengthening and additional practical training, such as how to use tools, machinery, computers, etc. Community leaders are currently undergoing training in forest certification and how to fiscally manage forests and make a profit from forest products.
The Guarayos, in Santa Cruz, another indigenous group, are also receiving training from BOLFOR. These activities are focused on making the group independent and self-sustaining by managing their finances. According to Marco Albonoz, the BOLFOR liaison with the Guarayos, the impact of these programs is very positive. The group is now able to earn money from the forests and better understands how to manage their natural resources. The Guarayos notice the impact the technical training had and see it as very valuable.
BOLFOR facilitated exchanges between the indigenous people of Lomerío and other TCOs. The group of top forestry experts from Lomerío are excellent trainers, because they are knowledgeable on technical topics and understand the concerns of TCOs. These experts serve as a valuable resource that BOLFOR contracts to work with other TCOs interested in forest management.
BOLFOR funded two participants to attend a series of 12 weeklong forest management workshops over the course of a year. These workshops were designed specifically for indigenous groups. The two individuals successfully completed the program and returned to their communities, serving as trainers on forest management. BOLFOR plans to send an additional five or six individuals to this series of workshops next year.
BOLFOR has created a group of Bolivian forestry specialists who are knowledgeable of current techniques, technologies, and research in the forest sector. The feedback received on these courses is very positive overall, and participants feel strongly that these types of training programs should continue.
C. Conclusions
BOLFOR’s training programs have been well received by the Bolivian forest sector. The project will continue targeting the needs of underrepresented groups, such as ASLs and TCOs.
During the extension period, BOLFOR can continue to place trainees in courses according to knowledge and ability level. The project currently sets prerequisite requirements, such as ability to use Excel or knowledge of statistical analysis, for courses above the introductory level. At times, the project will administer an exam for those interested in the course to ensure that participants have the necessary level of comprehension of a certain subject. By tightly managing the registration process, the project can group participants based on level of knowledge. The instructors can then teach various levels of one topic to meet the needs of more participants.
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A frequent challenge mentioned in interviews with BOLFOR training recipients was the difficulty many individuals had applying the new techniques and knowledge in the workplace. Continued emphasis should be placed on overcoming non-training barriers that prevent the application of the newly acquired skills. In the past, BOLFOR has addressed this issue through efforts to “socialize” forestry and forest management plans at all levels of companies.
BOLFOR can emphasize follow-up to training activities during the extension period. It would be beneficial if project staff routinely interview participants several months after the completion of the training to gather information on its value and effectiveness.
In general, the training plan implemented by BOLFOR in the past seven years (1994 – 2000) has been successful and should continue with few changes. The content of the training programs is very good; application of the knowledge and techniques learned is sometimes more difficult. BOLFOR’s objective was to train individuals so they could strengthen the forestry institutions they represent. The project should closely examine implementation challenges and follow-up methods when designing and planning training events during the next three years. By incorporating these suggestions, the training program can be even more effective in reaching diverse groups and having a lasting impact on Bolivia’s forest sector.
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Table 1. In-Country Training Activities
Total people Delivery Forest Policy Products Days Male Female trained (with Format management duplication)* Seminar 47 79 12 3663.948 577 4.525 Course 65 14 19 6301.895 262 2.157 Workshop 26 31 8 1871.436 237 1.673 Exposition 1 3 0 6128 33 161 Meeting 1 3 2 12139 15 154 Assembly 0 2 1 6115 19 134 Congress 1 1 0 889 16 105 Conference 0 0 1 120 5 25 Dissertation 0 0 1 118 2 20 Total 141 133 44 1.217 7.788 1.166 8.954
This total includes the number of participants at each type of training course. Because many people attended more than one course, this total counts many individuals more than one time each. Without duplication, the total number of individuals trained is 5,400.
Table 2. U.S. and Third-Country Training Activities
Forest Total people Delivery Format Policy Products Days Male Female management trained Course 22 11 0 67017 16 33 Congress 8 2 10 6115 5 20 Observational study tour 14 1 0 112 12 2 14 Masters Degree 9 1 0 730 10 0 10 Professional Degree 2 1 0 420 2 1 3 Meeting 1 1 0 212 0 3 On-the-job training 0 1 1 42 1 1 2 Ph.D. 1 0 0 7300 1 1 Workshop 0 1 0 71 0 1 Total 57 19 11 2.79360 26 87
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Table 3. Long-Term Academic Participants
Duration of Name Degree Training Institution Current Position and Employer Program Rudy Guzman M.S. Forest CATIE, Costa Rica 24 months Technical Superintendent, Gutierrez Management Forest Superintendency Milton Cortéz M.A. Tropical Forestry CATIE, Costa Rica 24 months Director of Tarija Office, Arellano Management and Forest Superintendency Silviculture Jaime Terán M.S. Forestry and CATIE, Costa Rica 24 months National Director of Technical Cardozo Tropical Forest Studies, Forest Management Superintendency Roberto Quevado M.S. Tropical Forestry CATIE, Costa Rica 24 months Operations Manager, Empresa Sopepi Management and Madera La Chonta Silviculture Carlos Caba M.S. Forestry Chapingo 24 months Technical Manager, Figueroa University, Mexico PROMABOSQUE Milton Brozovich M.S. Forest Chapingo 24 months Coordinator of the National Management University, Mexico Project for Controlled Fires, CARE, Bolivia Roberto Marcelo M.S. Natural Resource Colorado State 24 months Consultant, Bolivia Nuñez Economics University, U.S. Lilian Painter Ph.D. Sustainable Forest Liverpool University, 24 months Project Coordinator, Wildlife Management England Conservation Society, Madidi National Park Edgar Ponce M.S. Forest Inventories Postgraduate 24 months Consultant to the Forest Coila College, Mexico Superintendency Bonifacio M.S. Forest Ecology Postgraduate 24 months Forest Ecologist, BOLFOR Mostacedo College, Mexico Project Roger Landivar M.A. Environmental Yale University, 24 months Conservation Director, World Vaca Díez Studies, Conservation U.S. Wildlife Fund, Santa Cruz Biology Freddy Contreras GIS Certification Instituto Agustín 9 months Forest Management Sanjinés Codazzi, Colombia Coordinator, BOLFOR Project Juan Pablo GIS Certification Instituto Agustín 8 months Forest Management Baldivieso Codazzi, Colombia Coordinator, PANFOR
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Table 4. Theses Completed Under Grant Program
Thesis topic Number of theses Male Female Timber and non-timber forest products 35 29 6 Silviculture and ecology 28 21 7 Forest inventory 19 16 3 Tree felling 19 18 1 Fauna 7 3 4 Forest economics and politics 4 3 1 Flora 2 1 1 Total 114 91 23
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ANNEX D
BOLFOR Training Plan 2000
A. Training
This section outlines participant training anticipated from 2001 to 2003. The project will continue to apply its successful training strategy, focused on problem-solving and facilitating forest user technology adoption and skill development through on-the-job and practical short- term training. The project will continue to fund long- and short- term overseas training.
During the extension period, BOLFOR will refine its training program to further expand, develop, and consolidate the knowledge and skills needed by forestry professionals and forest managers to advance the new sustainable forestry regime. Training will continue to be developed and delivered by BOLFOR staff. This approach has proved successful in the past; staff training skills and methods are tested and validated every day by their work with their clients.
The type of training BOLFOR offers fills a need and complements training available in formal institutions. Training will be focused on three priority categories of clients:
Public servants at all levels of government, and private sector professionals and technicians working in collaborating institution and universities or delivering independent services to forest managers Forest managers, with special emphasis on TCOs and ASLs Municipal civil society organizations
A1. Illustrative Training Events/Activities for the Focus Groups
Training content will be based on stated and perceived demands. While preparing this plan, we received general and specific requests to satisfy training needs of particular categories of beneficiaries and/or collaborating institutions.
For example, the Forest Superintendency requested that BOLFOR provide a course on conducting forest censuses; many employees approve forest censuses without knowing how to carry out one. The Forest Superintendency also requested training for forest concession auditors. All concessions to private sector companies and ASLs must be audited every five years. After passing the audit, the concessionaires are eligible for renewal of their 40-year concession. The auditing process will begin in 2001. According to the Forest Superintendency, there are no qualified Bolivian auditors. BOLFOR will work with the Forest Superintendency to revise the terms of reference for the auditing of concessions and train the participants on how to apply the terms of reference and produce an evaluation of the concession. BOLFOR will train at least 20 auditors during the extension period.
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Another example is the expressed need of public servants manning the municipal forestry units (UFMs). Because the municipalities have high employee turnover, they have asked BOLFOR to repeat course offerings for UFMs every year. During the extension period, BOLFOR will offer two or three courses per year to UFMs. BOLFOR will conduct these courses in several regions. They will be open to new and experienced municipality staff.
BOLFOR will coordinate with USAID’s Democratic Development and Citizen Participation (DDCP) project to develop and deliver training to municipal governments and civil society groups. This training will use the mancomunidades, which is a cost-effective and high-impact mechanism to reach large numbers of citizens. The technical training courses for public servants and forest professionals will focus on:
Audits of forest concessions Regulatory tools, directed at forest conversion and illegal logging Prevention and control of forest fires Forest management (inventories, censuses, silviculture, GIS, etc.) Forest and environmental legislation Economic impact of sustainable forestry Research methodologies Insitutional organization and management Business management for forest consultants Municipal governance Participatory methodologies
BOLFOR will also focus on ASLs and TCOs as forest managers during the extension period. The project will continue to train ASLs and TCOs to develop their technical, institutional, and business capacity to successfully manage forests, institutions, and forest businesses. While on- the-job training will be emphasized, formal events will also be organized to make the training available to any interested TCO and ASL that may not be a direct BOLFOR client. To maximize the impact of these events and lower costs, BOLFOR will seek the collaboration of institutions that agglomerate these types of insitutions, such as NGOs and TCO associations. Course content will focus on:
Utilizing reduced impact logging methods and other silvicultural strategies. Preparing, implementing, and understanding management plans. Understanding protected areas and their importance. Understanding the rights of ASLs and TCOs and laws governing forest access. Financial management and business administration. Accounting and administrative management. Marketing. Use and repair of forestry instruments and tools (chainsaws, sawmills, and GPS equipment). Conflict resolution and negotiation skills. Internal organization and participatory methodologies.
The third focus group of municipal civil society organizations includes the Organizaciones Territoriales de Base (OTBs), vigilance committees, and other groups related to the municipal
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structure. Courses organized and presented in coordination with mancomunidades and the DDCP project will cover:
Forestry legislation and the role of the municipality and civil society Forest management planning Municipal development and planning Roles of the Forest Superintendency, prefects, and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Planning in the forest sector ASLs and Municipal Forestry Reserve Areas (AFRMs)
A2. Training Support to University Students
Although not one of the three primary training clients, university students are important recipients of training. BOLFOR’s research team will continue to offer research methodology courses to university students. BOLFOR will deliver one weeklong training course on forest management techniques per year to graduating students. BOLFOR will also continue to award thesis grants to university students. BOLFOR’s technical staff will serve as advisors to the students. The anticipated number of thesis grants by year is as follows:
Year Number of BOLFOR Thesis Grants 2001 10 grants 2002 15 grants 2003 5 grants
A3. Training of Trainers
To improve the training skills of BOLFOR staff who provide training to ASLs and TCOs, the project will contract short-term specialists to conduct annual training-of-trainer courses. Collaborating NGOs or forest consultants will be invited to participate as well.
As a case exercise, the consultants will assist the BOLFOR technical staff in developing a concrete training plan for one project partner, such as a specific TCO. Staff will develop the modules and content, based on their expertise, while consultants clarify learning objectives, incorporate proven adult learning techniques, create participatory exercises, and develop methods of peer and instructor review.
A4. Manuals
During the past seven years, BOLFOR has developed manuals to accompany a number of training courses. BOLFOR will continue to produce similar manuals as a result of its training program and research findings. Existing and new manuals will be revised and updated continuously and, by the end of the contract, BOLFOR will have developed a comprehensive set of manuals to leave with partner organizations as a legacy to Bolivia’s forest sector.
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A5. Academic Training
To further develop leadership within the Bolivian forest sector, BOLFOR proposes to fund graduate degree study for two individuals in the United States. The degrees would likely be in silviculture and forest ecology. The types of degrees funded would be decided in conjunction with candidate selection.
BOLFOR will update its selection criteria from past scholarship programs for candidate selection. Selection of students will be based on credentials such as undergraduate degree, professional achievements, and TOEFL score. BOLFOR will also consider subjective elements, such as demonstrated professional and scholarly maturity. The selection committee will carefully examine a candidate’s personal commitment to returning to Bolivia to make professional contributions to the sector.
The University of Florida at Gainesville has indicated preliminarily interest in cost-sharing the expense of academic scholarships for up to four students. Since an agreement has not been finalized with the university, BOLFOR assumes university funding for two degree students. BOLFOR anticipates that one of the two candidates would require English language training. Once candidates reached a TOEFL score of 550, they would start the degree program. Below, we provide illustrative time frames for degree study. Two students would begin in 2001.
Time Frame Number of Training Funding Students May 2001 – August 2001 1 English as a Second BOLFOR Language August 2001 – August 2002 2 Graduate study BOLFOR
August 2002 – June 2003 2 Graduate study BOLFOR or University of Florida
Scholarships will be managed according to USAID’s ADS 253 regulations. BOLFOR highly recommends that USAID, through the BOLFOR budget, fund the purchase of personal computers and thesis research in Bolivia for these scholars. Thesis funding would include round- trip airfare to Bolivia and direct research costs.
A6. Short-Term Training
BOLFOR anticipates the following level of U.S. or third-country-based short-term technical training for Forest Superintendency personnel, BOLFOR staff, and other qualified candidates.
Year Number of Trainees 2001 10 trainees 2002 5 trainees 2003 3 trainees
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The objective of short-term training is to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Forest Superintendency and the skills of BOLFOR and other collaborating institution staff who will be leaders in advancing the Bolivian forest sector after the project ends. Anticipated short-term training will include conferences, seminars, and workshops. BOLFOR may design and deliver customized short courses or observational study tours. When appropriate, BOLFOR will coordinate with donor-funded training programs to increase institutional linkages. Examples of training programs BOLFOR would consider include:
Community Forestry, Latin American Social Science Department, Flasco Sede Institute, Guatemala Observational study tour of indigenous group forest businesses, Guatemala Amazonian Ecological Ecosystems, Organization for Tropical Studies, Costa Rica Ecology and the Environment, Universidad Cayetano Heredia, Peru Conflict Resolution Skills Training, Institute of Peace, United States Forest and Natural Resource Administration and Management Seminar, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado State University, United States Management for Sustainable Natural Resource Development and Environmental Protection, University of Tennessee, United States Managing Forest Structure and Composition, Oregon State University, United States Tropical Forest Ecology, Organization of Tropical Studies in Costa Rica
All training will be linked to project intermediate results and integrated with BOLFOR’s monitoring and evaluation system. BOLFOR will monitor performance improvements resulting from training.
A7. Exit Strategy
BOLFOR’s training exit strategy is market-driven, and its success depends on private or public sector demand and initiative. To date, existing educational institutions have adopted individual BOLFOR courses, but none has expressed an interest in all or most of them. Some educational institutions have expressed doubts about the feasibility of trying to turn all or most BOLFOR training activities into an integrated, formal program. BOLFOR believes Bolivian institutions have the capacity to assess the training market and reach their own decisions.
Consequently, during the extension period, the offer to transfer BOLFOR-developed training materials and methodologies will remain in place. Should one or more interested institutions propose a plan to take over any or all training activities, BOLFOR may provide a modest one- time support grant to effect the transfer.
Recently funded Danish and ITTO projects to support the Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno (UAGRM) and Escuela Técnica Superior Forestal (ETSFOR) will specifically target improvement of university training programs. BOLFOR will coordinate with these projects, as they may provide the impetus for one or both of these universities to make a stronger commitment to the types of training BOLFOR has been conducting.
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D-6 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS
ANNEX E
Bibliography
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“Gestión Organizativa de las Agrupaciones Sociales del Lugar,” brochure prepared by BOLFOR, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, October, 2002.
Hendrickson, Caitlan, “Case-Study of Sustainable Forest Management in Bolivia: A Social, Organizacional, and Functional Análisis of the ASL El Cedro,” unpublished paper prepared by BOLFOR, San Miguel de Velasco, Bolivia, April 2003.
Miranda, Patricia, “La Contabilidad Básica en el Manejo Forestal Sostenible,” brochure prepared by BOLFOR, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, May 2003.
CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
“Modification #11 of Bolivia Sustainable Forest Management Project (BOLFOR): RFP: 001-02 Volume One: Technical Proposal,” unpublished proposal prepared for the U.S. Agency for International Development by Chemonics International Inc. and The Forest Management Trust, Washington, D.C., November 2000.
Nittler, John B. “End of Tour Report,” unpublished paper prepared for the U.S. Agency for International Development by Chemonics International Inc., Washington, D.C., May 2001.
Paulson, Susan. “Plan de Acción para Incorporar la Dimensión de Género en el Trabajo del Proyecto BOLFOR,” unpublished paper prepared for the U.S. Agency for International Development by Chemonics International Inc., Santa Cruz, Bolivia, January 2001.
“Request for Applications: Forestry Activity; Sustainable Forestry in Bolivia,” prepared by the U.S. Agency for International Development, La Paz, Bolivia, April 2003.
Selaya Garvizú, Nedezhda Galia, “Forestería Comunitaria con Perspectiva de Género: Diagnóstico a ASLs y TCOs de Ixiamas,” Santa Cruz, Bolvia, May 2002.
Selaya Garvizú, Nedezhda Galia, “Forestería Comunitaria con Perspectiva de Género: Diagnóstico a ASLs y TCOs de Velasco,” Santa Cruz, Bolivia, April 2002.
Taylor, George F., John Nittler, and Ivo Kraljevic. “Global Initiatives, Public Policies and Private Forestry in Bolivia: Lessons to Date and Remaining Challenges.” Ed. L. Teeter, B. Cashore, and D. Zhang. New York, NY: CABI Publishing, 2003. 67-80.
“Universidades que Dictan Carreras Forestales a Nivel Licenciatura y Técnico Superior Periodo 1993 – 1998,” Proyecto SIFOR/BOL – Cámara Forestal de Bolivia Información Forestal, La Paz, Bolivia, 1999.
Recommended Web Sites BOLFOR (Bolivia Forestry Project) http://bolfor.chemonics.net/
CADEFOR (Amazonian Center for Sustainable Forest Enterprise) http://www.cadefor.org/en/cadefor/cadefor.asp
CADEX (Santa Cruz Chamber of Exporters) http://www.cadex.org/institucional.htm
CFV (Bolivian Council for Voluntary Certification) http://www.angelfire.com/pq/cfv/
Forest Chamber of Bolivia http://www.cadex.org/camaraforestal/
E-2 BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC.
ANALYSIS OF BOLFOR TRAINING, 1994 – 2000 E-3