Del Potencial a la Acción: OMEC y Conservación Inclusiva en Bolivia

The TCO Monte Verde, a territory of the Chiquitano Indigenous People in Bolivia, maintains 98% forest cover through a combination of indigenous governance and formal forest management plans. Despite facing severe pressures from agricultural expansion, land grabbing, and massive forest fires in 2024, the territory serves as a critical barrier to deforestation in the Chiquitanía region. Conservation is driven by cultural identity, the need for water security, and the goal of preserving resources for future generations. While sustainable logging provides primary income, the community is exploring non-timber forest products and carbon markets to diversify their economy and further protect the forest.

• The TCO Monte Verde maintains a high level of forest cover, with 98% of its surface remaining as forest, effectively acting as a barrier against the expansion of the agricultural frontier in northern Chiquitanía.
• Indigenous governance in Monte Verde combines traditional Chiquitano models—including assemblies and directories—with a formal General Regulation for Access, Use, Management, Protection, and Management of Common Natural Assets approved in 2015.
• Sustainable forest management is a primary conservation tool, with 71.7% of the TCO's surface under General Forest Management Plans (PGMF) or Integral Forest Management Plans (PMIB).
• The territory faces severe threats from the agricultural frontier, including land grabbing by Mennonite colonies and intercultural communities, and illegal land rentals for soy, corn, and sorghum production.
• Forest fires in 2024 caused massive damage, affecting 807,243 hectares, which represents 85% of the TCO's extension; 65% of these fires were intentional agricultural burns.
• Mining activities are occurring within the TCO through 13 active concessions for gold, tantalum, and beryllium, often without environmental impact studies or local consultation.
• Community-led biodiversity monitoring, supported by WWF and APCOB, has used over 70 camera traps to document 24 jaguars, suggesting that forest management plans effectively protect the species.
• Women play a central role in conserving biodiversity by leading the sustainable harvest of non-timber forest products for medicinal and commercial use, utilizing over 80 different plant species.
• Local motivations for conservation are rooted in the reproduction of collective identity, the preservation of water resources for future generations, and the view of the territory as a 'big house' (casa grande).
• There is a perceived lack of state support for indigenous conservation, with locals arguing that state incentives favor the destructive agricultural model and that the ABT's forest management requirements are overly bureaucratic and costly.

APA

Pacheco, R., & Toro, M. (2025). Del Potencial a la Acción: OMEC y Conservación Inclusiva en Bolivia. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1802/Bolivia_CS_Tierra_Comunitaria_de_Origen_Monte_Verde.pdf

Chicago

Pacheco, Rodrigo, and Marco Toro. Del Potencial a la Acción: OMEC y Conservación Inclusiva en Bolivia. WWF International, 2025. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1802/Bolivia_CS_Tierra_Comunitaria_de_Origen_Monte_Verde.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pacheco |first1=Rodrigo |last2=Toro |first2=Marco |title=Del Potencial a la Acción: OMEC y Conservación Inclusiva en Bolivia |publisher=WWF International |date=December 2025 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1802/Bolivia_CS_Tierra_Comunitaria_de_Origen_Monte_Verde.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pacheco2025del, author = {Pacheco, Rodrigo and Toro, Marco}, title = {{Del Potencial a la Acción: OMEC y Conservación Inclusiva en Bolivia}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1802/Bolivia_CS_Tierra_Comunitaria_de_Origen_Monte_Verde.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }