Consejo Regional Tsimané MosetenePilón Lajas, Bolivia

Veronika Feheregyhazy & Nina SchneiderEnvironment Management & Sustainability (in collaboration with SID/UNIDO)

Captions to be set in Times or

Times New Roman or

equivalent, italic, between 18

and 24 points.

Left aligned if it refers to a

figure on its left. Caption

starts right at the top edge of

the picture (graph or photo).

Captions to be set in Times or

Times New Roman or

equivalent, italic, between 18

and 24 points. Right aligned if

it refers to a figure on its right.

Caption starts right at the top

edge of the picture (graph or

photo).

Captions to be set in Times or

Times New Roman or

equivalent, italic, between 18

and 24 points.

Left aligned if it refers to a

figure on its left. Caption

starts right at the top edge of

the picture (graph or photo).

Foundation & Context-Declared UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1975.-Trigger: March for the Dignity and Territory of theIndigenous Lowland Villages in La Paz in 1990

-Pilón Lajas protected as: Original Community-Based Territory (TCO) and Biosphere Reserve (BR)

Consejo Regional Tsimané Mosetene established to:-Negotiate on behalf of its inhabitants-Defend & strengthen rights of communities-Manage technical & economic support based on landmanagement/human development-Preserve natural and cultural heritage of territory

The Region: Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve-Geographical Area: ~4,000,000ha-It is pressured by 2 major, bordering colonizations-There are 2 sub-regions within: Yungas; MadeiraHumid Forest containing great biodiversity value:

-162 timber species: palm, hardwood-755 animal species: spider monkey, lowland tapir

Indigenous Communities-In 1998, 80% of local residents are from the 22indigenous Chimán, Tacana and Mosetene tribes.-They have been pressured by mestizos & settlerssince 1970

Governance Approaches

Initiative & Analysis

Key Initiative: The Management Plan and Life Plan Valid: 2007-2017

“…Consolidate the territory, productive sector and basicservices of the Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands inorder to address the needs of the communities, improvequality of life and strengthen management capabilities, andintegrated land management.” (Equator Initative, 2012, p. 6)

Innovations, Impacts & Analysis

Initiative’s Contributing Innovations tothe field of Environment Management

Recommendations

Sources*

Implications

Problem-Solving

Problem: Timber-exploitation by individuals

contractors within Indigenous communities

Solution: Employment at six field stations to increase

control over illegal logging.

Voluntary Sector

Goal: Ecotourism and need for diversified income

sources/economic development

Trigger: $250,000 provided by voluntary sector (int’l NGOs and agencies) to

create Mapajo Indigenous Tourism Enterprise

Regional

Goal: Sustained ecological maintenance of Pilón Lajas region and bordering areas.

Solution: Integrated and participatory monitoring program developed for

Management Plan & Life Plan’s 7 programs.

Management Plan &

Life Plan

Admin. and Management

Conservation and Biodiversity

Protection

Development & Sustainable Use

of Natural Resources in Indigenous

Communities

Tourism, incl. Ecotourism.

Participatory & Integrated

Monitoring and Scientific Research

Env. Training, Education,

Communication & Dissemination

Equity-building Co-Management

& Regional Integration

Initiative's Impacts

Biodiversity: - Recovery: Recovery of timber/animal species - Protection & Management: Critical mapping/zoning areas- Information & Accountability: Biodiversity tracking, and informed consent for indigenous populations

Socioeconomic:- Avg. 30% increase in income due to small-scale agricultural projects, funded by CRTM- Eco-tourism facilitated social entrepreneurship, bilingual education grants and health spending

Policy:- Institutionalization of Participatory Governance - Informed consent for indigenous populations regarding environmental projects

Developing Alternative Livelihoods

Combining Local Knowledge with

Management Innovation

Strengths:

• Recovering of rare flora and faunapopulations, biodiversity potential

• Strict protection policies

• Participatory governance

• Capacity building programs

• Projects for the creation ofalternative livelihoods, whichreduces dependency on criticalforest resources

Weaknesses:

• Accessible zones are colonized

• Few econ. development programs

• Economic and ecological base linedata for the region is lacking

• Not very attractive for tourists(because of poor accessibility &hard-to-spot charismatic animals)

• Dilapidated infrastructure

Opportunities

• Collaborative mapping and zoningof areas to assist ecological plans

• Intensifying Eco-tourism andrelated low-impact activities,thereby increases income andmarketing

Threats

• Land Invasion from settlers

• Poverty trap: Lack of sources ofincome may lead to exploitationof natural resources.

Analysis of Impacts

Strengths

• Participatory Approach

• CRTM’s successful governancerole in representing communityinterest & development goals

• Legal status of region is very welldefined

Weaknesses

• Financially not yet self-sufficient,reliance on external funding

• Consumers remain unaware ofPilón Lajas outside immediateregion

• Field stations (to counter illegallogging) and infrastructure is inneed of renovation/repair

Opportunities

• Increased marketing & awareness

• Support from variety of differentorganizations, risk diversification

• Best-case practice/case study forother similar projects in Amazon

Threats

• Lack and uncertainty in long-termfunding, hand-to-mouth finances

• Threat of land invasion and illegallogging due to settlements

Analysis of Initiative

Financial Self-Sustainability

• Necessary to step away from purely external funding and concentrate more on improving local entrepreneurship, sustainable agro-forestry and professional formation.

Awareness

• Without an increase in consumer and international awareness, securing funding and attracting tourists is difficult, considering that Bolivia has many well-known and larger national parks, competitors to Pilón Lajas

Reduction of Pop. Growth & Land-Use

• Necessary to reduce pressure on the environment. Careful population density and human settlement monitoring.

• Solution needs to be found for the new settlers, e.g. sustainable economic development programs.

Dual Identify & Purpose

• Biosphere Reserve

• Communal Lands, two identities with legal and governance criteria to meet

• Makes sure both social and environmental sustainability aspects are fully integrated into protection plan

Governance Approach

• Participatory approach, inclusive of multi-level concerns (e.g. indigenous, experts, government, etc.)

• Serves as best-case environmental management model for similar protected areas. Institutionalized governance approach.

Equator Initative. (2012). Tsimané Mosetene Regional Council, Pilón Lajas, Bolivia. New York: Equator Principles.

Pauquet, S. (2005). Diagnosis of the Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands. La Paz, Bolivia: ParksWatch Bolivia.

Peredo-Videa, B. (2008). The Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Indigenous Territory, Beni, Bolivia. Oxford: Green College, Oxford University.

*Further references available in the academic paper, supervised by Prof. Sabine Sedlacek