Pando, Bolivia

The objective of the field test in Palma Real, a community in the Bolivian Amazon, was to train community stakeholders in applying MLA tools and to facilitate their adoption of forest monitoring techniques. Participatory landscape mapping in particular illustrated how readily people directed the approach to their own needs. Their increased interest will likely have a positive impact on later management decisions.

The original plan for the participatory landscape mapping had been to illustrate the principal ecosystems recognised by the community and their uses. During initial planning, however, the community made it clear that they were more interested in addressing their concerns with Brazil nut theft and conflicts that had appeared during the previous harvest. They rather wanted to use mapping techniques to document their customary forest property rights. The CIFOR team responded to this demand by training community members in creating a geo- referenced map of the Brazil nut collection areas.

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Publication:

Evans, K.; Jong, W. de. ; Miranda, P.; Cronkleton, P. 2006. Evaluating and Adapting Multidisciplinary Landscape Assessment in Forest-Dependent Communities in the Northern Bolivian Amazon.