Contents 3 Editorial Sustainable forest management in the 4 Tropics of Cochabamba Private Sector: Investments and 8 Opportunities A tropical paradise Publication funded by the United Nations Drug Control Programme for enjoying (UNDCP) through project AD/BOL/99/D69, Linking Alternative ecotourism Development to the National Planning System, and published by the 12 Vice-Ministry of Alternative Development (VIMDESALT). • General Coordination: Lic. Arturo Alarcón • Front Cover Photographs: Actividades de Manejo de Bosques, Turismo, Actividades Undertaking new Productivas y de Planificación Estratégica Participativa de los activities to stimulate programas y proyectos de Desarrollo Alternativo. 17 economic development • Source: Vice-Ministry of Alternative Development and in the region AD/BOL/99/D69 Project • Designed and printed by: Artes Gráficas LAVADENZ Calle Gustavo Medinacelli 2220 Telf: 242-3716 Linking Alternative NUEVO GRAN ANGULAR The articles in this issue do not necessarily reflect the views Development to of the institutions mentioned above. 21 planning Articles may be reproduced if the source is acknowledged. processes Free copies are available from the AD/BOL/99/D69 Project office: Av. 14 de Septiembre 5469 Calle 7 - Obrajes E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] P.O. Box: 14973 La Paz - Bolivia 24 Micronews Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Farming AD/BOL/99/D69 Project and Rural Development Linking Alternative Development Vice-Ministry of Alternative Development to the National Planning System And today This issue completes a cycle of propagation of the achievements and progress of Alternative Development and Eradication of Coca Leaf Crops through the publication of twelve issues of Nuevo Gran Angular, responsibility of the AD/BOL/99/D69 Project – Coordination of Alternative Development with the National Planning System. Considering that communication, propagation and information are aspects of primary importance, the Vice Ministry of Alternative Development and the PNUD have published the “Nuevo Gran Angular” in order to have a means of propagation to satisfy the requirements of the readers. This publication has been structured in order to inform on the diverse areas of the Alternative Development Process and Eradication of Coca Leaf Crops, addressing diverse topics such as productive processes focused on various phases of agriculture, agribusiness, markets, social organisation, private investment in alternative development, tourism, gender, environment and natural resources, farming technology, participative planning processes for development of the regions, coordination and dialogue among others. This process has meant a great effort that the “Nuevo Gran Angular” has wanted to present and propagate so that its results and impacts are known and valued in their just dimension. In this last issue of the present cycle, a selection of previously published articles, reflecting several important aspects of the complex process of alternative development, are presented. Secure in the knowledge that the “Nuevo Gran Angular” will be continued in a new cycle and with the satisfaction that the AD/BOL/99/D69 Project mission to inform has been accomplished, we say good-bye till we meet again. Dr. Marco Antonio Oviedo VICE MINISTER OF ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT Rational use of natural resources Sustainable forest management in the Tropics of Cochabamba Forest management plans enable timber resources in the forest to be used rationally and sustainably, while communities receive greater economic benefits. In the Alternative Development framework, for the of timber last few years in the Tropics of Cochabamba a new resources by economic alternative is being consolidated for the logging region’s producers. It involves adopting practices that companies and make renewable natural resources more sustainable: sawmills. They Forest Management Plans (FMPs). operated with no sustainability criteria whatsoever and exploited the From the very beginning, the multiple use forest in settlers’ forests without much benefit or profit for the the settlement area has been severely over-exploited. latter. This irrational attitude gave rise to a number This is not only the case in those areas set aside for of environmental problems in the region, such as water logging, but also goes beyond these to protected areas erosion, overflowing of riverbeds in the dry season, such as the Carrasco and Isiboro-Securé national parks, frequent flooding in the rainy season, loss of causing enormous damage to the environment as a biodiversity, etc. result. The fact is that the settlers, who came mainly from the valleys and high plateau, saw the forest as The forestry industry nothing more than an obstacle standing in the way of Although the forestry industry in the Department the expansion of their farmland. This was because of Cochabamba is one of the most important sectors they had little or no knowledge of tropical agriculture of the economy in the region, the logging carried or forest management. out in the natural forests of the Tropics of Cochabamba has left very few benefits for the area’s This pressure on the natural forests was due above all inhabitants. Settlers did not realise the true economic to the enormous economic importance that coca and environmental value of their forests either, as cultivation for illicit purposes acquired at the time. their only concern was to clear more land for their It was also caused by the uncontrollable exploitation crops. 4 OCTOBER 2002 ensuring the sustainability of forest resources. It enables rural communities, farmers and local groups with a FMP approved by the Forestry Superintendence to participate directly in activities to exploit, process and market forest products, in order to achieve greater economic benefits. This mandate was adopted and applied by the "Management, Conservation and Utilisation of the Forestry Resources in the Tropics of Cochabamba and Transition Areas in the Yungas of La Paz" Project (AD/BOL/97/C23), known by the region’s producers as "Jatun Sach’a" (Big Tree in Quechua). By carrying out its forestry activities with organised groups, and especially since its second phase started at the end of 1997, the project has achieved significant promotion work to ensure that the Forestry Law’s mandate is applied by the region’s producers. So far there are 33 FMPs supported by the project. There are still important areas of forest left in the region. They are at different stages of implementation. Most About 44% of the 534.000 hectares covered by the of them involve logging, having established two ways settlement area is classified as primary forest and 24% in which this is to be carried out. One way involves a as secondary forest. The income that can be generated public bidding round for the sale of standing timber, by sustainable logging in the region may create a strategy that enables private companies to participate. employment for large groups of people currently working These companies are also taking a leading role to in subsistence agriculture and living on marginal land. address the problems that they envisage arising in the future with regard to the supply of timber as the main Forest management plans raw material from the forest. The other way is for The Forestry Law Nº 1700 stipulates that before carrying logging to be carried out directly by the associations out any logging activity or burning the forest to enable themselves using mobile sawmills so that they can sell the land to be used for farming purposes, Forest semi-processed timber. Management Plans or Land Clearance Plans must be drawn up. A FMP enables economic, ecological and social Producers associations benefits to be obtained from the forest, guaranteeing that The producers associations working with the FMPs future generations will have the same options. This form have complied with all the demands and requirements of exploiting the forest is a new alternative for generating established by the Forestry Law. With the assistance income in the short term for the region’s producers, of AD/BOL/97/C23 Project experts, many of them are OCTOBER 2002 5 currently carrying out their logging activities under strict planning and control, employing skilled labour and appropriate technology to prevent damage to the forest and ensure that the logging is sustainable. This enables producers associations to participate in taking advantage of forest resources, and it means that a large proportion of the income remains in the place of origin and thereby improves the communities’ socio-economic conditions. The organisation of these associations has a small business focus. The project initiates a training programme on the different issues involved in logging, including targeted felling, chopping, cubing and dragging, handling of tree trunks, sawmill management, how to operate chainsaws, and types of cut. The objective is that the group involved will carry out these activities efficiently, preventing losses in what is produced. With the aim of avoiding losses of sawn timber, groups are given training in preventive measures and conservation, mainly in the handling of timber, anti-fungus treatment, stacking wood for drying and classifying timber for subsequent sale. FMP administrators receive training in accounting, management and marketing, so that they can manage the money, timber sales, payment and supervision of staff properly, as well as carrying out other management activities needed for the small business to prosper. Species