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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 report examines Bolivia's conservation landscape, highlighting a tension between formal state strategies and local practices. While Bolivia has a robust system of protected areas and land tenure, conservation outside these areas is often hindered by state priorities favoring extractivism and agribusiness. The document argues that indigenous territories and community-led initiatives offer significant potential for OECM recognition, provided that the state shifts toward a more inclusive, less bureaucratic, and better-funded support system that aligns with local livelihoods.

The report examines the degradation of the Chiquitano Dry Forest due to agricultural expansion, deforestation, and intensifying forest fires, highlighting the risk of total forest disappearance by 2050 and the need for sustainable water management tools.

The report analyzes the hydrological impacts of forest fires and deforestation in the Chiquitania region of Bolivia, specifically focusing on the Curichi Grande and Tucavaca watersheds. It details the development of a multi-criteria prioritization tool using Google Earth Engine (GEE) and a hydrological model using WEAP to assess water availability and soil retention. Field findings from 2021-2022 highlight critical water scarcity and quality issues in local communities following the 2019 and 2020 fires, while the report argues that integrating fire risk into water management is essential for sustainable regional development.

The report examines how agricultural expansion and urban development in the Chiquitano dry forest region of Bolivia are altering water resources. It highlights the proliferation of 'atajados' (artificial ponds) and groundwater wells, noting that these decentralized systems are often unregulated and not captured in current hydrological models. The authors argue that these changes reduce deep infiltration and base flow, potentially threatening downstream ecosystems and water users, drawing a parallel to similar unregulated water diversions in Northern California.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) developed a prioritization framework using remote sensing and watershed mapping to assess the impact of wildfires on water resources in the Chiquitania region of Bolivia. This tool aims to guide policymakers in using the watershed as the primary unit for land and water management, filling a gap in existing restoration plans that overlook hydrological issues.

In response to the 2019 'megafire' in the Chiquitano Forest, which burned approximately 3.6 million hectares, the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) developed a pilot framework to help Bolivian policymakers use watersheds as the primary management unit for land and water planning. The framework combines remote sensing data on land use and fire from 2001 to 2019 with watershed maps and water-related indicators, such as groundwater recharge areas, to identify vulnerable zones. While current restoration plans in the Santa Cruz Department focus on socio-economic and governance actions, they lack water resource components. SEI's tool distinguishes between fires in intact forests versus those in areas already converted to agriculture and identifies northern Chiquitania as having the highest groundwater recharge potential. Future work involves adding criteria like ecosystem relevance and population size, and developing a regional-scale model using the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) tool to quantify the hydrological impacts of forest cover loss.

The study examines the impact of wildfires occurring between 2000 and 2012 on the Chiquitania forests of Bolivia. It finds that recurrent fires lead to a significant loss in biomass and a shift in species composition where fire-tolerant species become more dominant, resulting in an increase in species richness despite the biomass loss. The authors warn that this transition to a fire-adapted state could become irreversible under future conditions of increased drought and forest fragmentation.

The document examines the integration of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and community-based adaptation (CbA) through the EU-funded EcoAdapt project. By utilizing the Model Forests approach in Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile, the project sought to develop long-term climate adaptation strategies for water resources. The integration aims to combine the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services with the empowerment of local communities to identify their own needs. Key benefits identified include increased community ownership, a better understanding of socio-ecological interconnections, and a more holistic view of large-scale environmental processes. However, the project faced challenges such as waning community motivation, inclusive participation gaps—specifically with cattle ranchers in Bolivia—and instabilities within the public sector. The briefing concludes that successful up-scaling requires a socio-ecological systems approach, secure finance, supportive public policies, and the development of accessible tools for local actors.