Learning from the past: Trends and dynamics in livelihoods of Bolivian forest communities

Abstract

We use social ecological systems theory (SES) to analyse change in forest communities in the northern Bolivian Amazon. SES characterises interdependent dynamics of social and ecological systems and we hypothesized it to be a useful frame to grasp dynamics of forest communities affected by changes in forest policies, regulations and institutions, as well as economic demands and conservation objectives. We analysed the long-term historical changes since the region became incorporated in the global tropical forest product value chain since the late 19 th century and quantitatively analysed changes in 85 forest communities between 1997 and 2009. We collected information on 16 variables related to demographic, productive, and socioeconomic characteristics. Results show that forest communities have experienced major changes and have adapted to these changes. Social thresholds, a key concept in SES, are consistent with multiple social economic forces experienced by forest communities. Detrimental feedback effects of SES can be confronted when innovative exploration mechanisms, such as new productive chains are developed, or the agro-extractive cycles of current productive system are expanded. Competition among households, population growth and more profitable economic opportunities may threaten benign forms of forest products extraction that have persisted through various cycles of internal and external changes.

The legally allowable versus the informally practicable in Bolivia’s domestic timber market

“…Data compiled during 2008Data compiled during -2009 show that 42% of rural incomes (monetary and consumption) is derived from forest products and about half of that from Brazil nut harvesting . Zenteno et al (2014) suggest that because of regional demographic changes, communities have increased the total sales of Brazil nut over the last decade and a half, but this effectively lead to a decline of production per family. A household that only has limited access to Brazil nut trees in combination with low technology agriculture will not be able to obtain an income that covers minimum livelihood needs and family members migrate for 3 months of the year to remote corners in the forest to collect Brazil nuts for other forest owners.…”

“…The region has experienced profound institutional reforms because of national democratic, land and forest reforms since the mid-1990s (Ruiz, 2005;Zenteno et al, 2014). Forest communities that had no legal status before the reforms became political administrative units and acquired related rights.…”

Aprovechamiento y mercados de la madera en el norte amazónico de Bolivia

“…Cabe mencionar que el aprovechamiento individual ya se realizaba en el pasado, tanto en comunidades campesinas e indígenas, dependiendo de las circunstancias (Stoian, 2005;Cano, 2012Cano, , 2014aZenteno et al, 2013Zenteno et al, , 2014. La extracción de uno a cinco árboles para consumo dentro de la comunidad o con fines comerciales, es una práctica ampliamente difundida en el norte amazónico de Bolivia desde hace más de dos décadas (Cano, 2012;Zenteno et al, 2013).…”

Impacts of land use and land use changes on the resilience of beekeeping in Uruguay

“…Crossing of thresholds also tends to constrain adaptability by delivering new costs and challenges to such populations, in line with the feedback loops associated with regime shifts (Janssen and Scheffer, 2004;Moser and Ekstrom, 2010;Mwangi and Ostrom, 2009;Zenteno et al, 2014). Equally important is to identify fast (e.g.…”