Living Land

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The programme is carried out by WCS in cooperation

with different regional institutions and corporations and is

especially focused on different indigenous territories, which

are particularly threatened by the different consequences of

climate change and deforestation. The logging already done

in this area has giving rise to the threat of severe forest fires

and flooding of the indigenous lands, which is why the

project seeks to help the local community in the continued

fight against deforestation. To do this, the different organi-

zations seek to help the locals in getting knowledge about

the possibilities to exploit the forests’ own resources in a

sustainable way, for instance by producing agroforest fruits

such as coffee and cacao, by using better farming practices

in already cleared areas, and by improving the practice of

collecting wild-growing products such as incense and palm

trees for building rooftops. The forests in Madidi offer good

possibilities for different productions in a sustainable way,

but it is necessary for the local communities to get a code

of practice to make sure they do not overexploit nature.

Therefore, the programme seeks to make sure local socie-

ties get a sustainable platform for production — and all the

work is carried out in close cooperation with local people

to make sure their knowledge of the forests does not get

lost in the process. An important part of the production of

agroforest fruit is the commercial potential of the products,

which is why an essential part of the programme is for the

NGOs to help the local communities find interested buyers

and markets for their goods.

Since the programme is still in its early stages, the final results

of the efforts are not yet known. However, the expected results

are that 540 families, which include approximately 3,000

people, will benefit directly from the programme. The families’

incomes are expected to increase by at least 30 per cent due to

the better, more efficient production techniques they will gain

knowledge of. In addition, 12,000 inhabitants in the indigenous

lands are expected to benefit indirectly. Thanks to the sustain-

able agroforestry implemented by the project, a total loss of

10,000 hectares of forest in Madidi is expected to be avoided

by 2017. The programme derives from earlier experiences of

similar programmes, but with a bigger focus on the develop-

ment of products and the participation of the local community.

Therefore, the experiences behind the programme are old, but

the programme itself is new, and that is also the reason why

the organizations behind the programme are certain that the

expected results will be achieved.

Another project in Bolivia to reduce the deforestation is in

the Amazon jungle, which is particularly exposed to logging

as a result of the expansion of agriculture and cattle farming.

Here, the forest is cleared constantly to make way for crops

like rice and yucca. However, the soil of the Amazon is not

The sustainable production of different agroforest fruits in Amazonas keeps

deforestation at bay

The important citrus fruits of the San Juan community

Image: Helle Ager Henriksen

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