Forest Management for Timber and Non-Timber Products in the Tropical Lowlands of Bolivia (FOMABO)

project summary

The project will be finalised by mid 2011. Its objective has been to contribute to the development of training and research capacity supporting a sustainable forest management and planning in Bolivia. The project has: (i) developed university training in forest management and planning, (ii) conducted research on the ecologigal and socio-economic role of important tree species in natural forests and plantation systems, and (iii) supported capacity and knowledge building in local forest management and in conducting studies on forest policy and forest economics. In the period 2001-2006, focus was on curriculum development and in the period 2007-2010 on organisational development, including the establishment of research units at the two forestry educations. FOMABO’s study programme for students from indigenous peoples has supported the training of 30 forest engineers, 15 of whom are expected to graduate in 2012. Another international donor has from 2010 taken over the study programme. The project was partly finalised in 2009 when the central research and capacity building activities at the two main partners in Bolivia ended. In 2009-2010, two interdisciplinary training programmes were conducted in collaboration with Danida’s sector programmes, indigenous peoples’ organisations, and Centro Universitario Agroecología Universidad Cochabamba (AGRUCO). More than 90 students have benefitted from the post graduate and thesis support of this programme. FOMABO has since 2001 supported eight PhD projects. Four candidates have successfully completed their studies. Two students have stopped their studies and two studies are still ongoing. All PhD candidates supported by the project have got full or part-time tenure at the partner universities in Bolivia.