Sam Beebe
Guardians of the ForestsHow should an indigenous community in eastern Bolivia defend their land and forests?
Yifan He
, (University of Michigan, Bolivian Forestry Research Institute (Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal), and Conservation International)
Juan Pablo Baldiviezo
, (Bolivian Forestry Research Institute (Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal))
Arun Agrawal
, (University of Michigan)
Vicente Candaguira
, and (Bolivian Forestry Research Institute (Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal) and Bolivian National Indigneous Forestry Association (Asociación Forestal Indígena Nacional) )
Ivette Perfecto
(University of Michigan)
The Guarayos indigenous people, who have relied on a forest livelihood for centuries, are facing increasing economic and political pressures on their lands and forests.
The Guarayos indigenous people live on their ancestral land in eastern Bolivia and depend on their extensive forest resources for their livelihood. But in recent years, they have faced increasing pressures on their lands and forests, including the expansion of mechanized agriculture and cattle ranches, settlements of outsiders, decreasing timber price, and lack of support from the state government for their land rights. As the new president of the Central Organization of Native Guarayos Peoples (COPNAG), Daniel Yaquirera needs to find a way to defend the land and forest rights of his people.
Learning objectives
- Increase knowledge about the conditions necessary for successful community forest management, and be able to evaluate whether these conditions are met in a given scenario.
- Increase knowledge about the social, economic, and environmental impacts of mechanized agriculture expansion in the Latin American context.
- Develop interest in forest conservation, community-based natural resource management, indigenous rights, and environmental issues in Latin America.
- Develop analytical skills to identify interventions for improving community forest management.
- Develop and refine communication skills.
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