International Land Systems (ILS), Inc., in partnership with Chemonics International will assist in improving the conservation and sustainable use of Bolivia’s vast biodiversity through the USAID-funded Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Bolivian Lowlands Activity under the Proyecto Amazónico Integrado (Integrated Amazonian Project). Deforestation in Bolivia’s Amazon Basin in recent decades has increased at an alarming rate. At the same time, the legal structure in the lowlands of Bolivia remains ineffective at preventing widespread destruction of the country’s natural resources. The five-year project aims to empower municipal governments, local civil society organizations, and local timber companies to build a sustainable forest management framework while promoting economic growth for local indigenous communities that use the forest’s natural resources.
Many of Bolivia’s lowland municipalities lack simple maps showing where the resources are and where the population is. “This is an obvious impediment to advancing natural resource administration in the region”, says ILS Project Manager Marcelo Viscarra. “Updating the area’s geographic information will be crucial to the successful implementation of the project and will give these communities the ability to manage land rights,” says Viscarra. Cadastral maps will play an important role in that they illustrate an organized vision of the land that cannot be achieved through standard maps. As a result of these maps, targeted municipalities will be able to better maintain current urban and rural information pertaining to properties, rights, and individual or community interests. Retaining such records will have a positive impact on urban planning as well as endangered forested areas. Read More
