Bolivia: Over 9,000 Hectares of Illegal Logging in Indigenous Territory
Indigenous Chiquitano communities in Bolivia's Monte Verde territory have faced a dual tragedy: first, devastating wildfires between July and November 2024, and subsequently, widespread illegal logging. While fleeing the fires, groups dedicated to land grabbing and trafficking infiltrated the territory, targeting ancient trees that survived the flames. The community of Los Ángeles, one of 152 within Monte Verde, discovered that the fire was merely the prelude to further destruction as centuries-old trees were felled by chainsaws. An in-depth investigation by Amazonía Traficada, analyzing data from state agencies like the Authority of Forests and Lands (ABT) and the National Agrarian Reform Institute (INRA), alongside satellite imagery and field interviews, revealed a disturbing pattern of deforestation across Bolivia's 48 titled indigenous Amazonian territories. This research led to the creation of VISTA, a public platform detailing deforestation, fires, agricultural expansion, and land invasions. In Monte Verde specifically, out of 23,354 hectares authorized for clearing between 2003 and 2023, only 3,700 were legally logged. However, the total forest loss in the same period reached 13,100 hectares, meaning 9,360 hectares (71%) were cleared illegally. Across all 48 territories, 168,670 hectares were illegally logged out of a total of 186,576 hectares cleared over two decades. A significant portion of authorized clearings, particularly under the "Plan de Desmonte 20" (PDM20) administrative tool, appears to facilitate deforestation for agricultural expansion, notably for soybean monoculture, which has seen exponential growth in Monte Verde from 1 hectare in 2021 to 238 hectares in 2024. The investigation also noted that between 2017 and 2018, nearly 300 hectares in Monte Verde were authorized for clearing to individuals with foreign-sounding names or those linked to Mennonite colonies, with some of these plots overlapping with soybean cultivation areas. The ABT did not provide responses regarding its methods for detecting clandestine logging or verifying the identity of permit applicants.
The situation in Bolivia's Monte Verde territory highlights a critical governance challenge where state-issued permits for land clearing are being overshadowed by extensive illegal deforestation, particularly within indigenous lands. The "Plan de Desmonte 20" mechanism, designed for small-scale clearing, appears to be exploited to facilitate large-scale forest loss, potentially masking resource extraction and agricultural expansion, such as the rapid growth of soybean monoculture. This suggests a systemic vulnerability in oversight and enforcement, where administrative processes may inadvertently enable or fail to prevent illicit activities. The lack of response from the Authority of Forests and Lands regarding detection of clandestine logging and applicant verification raises questions about the effectiveness of current control mechanisms. Moving forward, strengthening transparency in land-use authorization, enhancing enforcement capabilities, and ensuring robust verification processes are crucial to protect vulnerable ecosystems and indigenous territories from ongoing degradation.
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