Bolivia : COPNAG
Apart form the cooperation with COPNAG, in the field of forest resources SOS Faim works also with the Indigenous Federation of the Communities in Lomerio (CICOL), an area bordering the Guarayos region.
The context: The Guarayos region is located in the north of the Santa Cruz Province (the East of Bolivia). The area, inhabited by indigenous populations, is mainly covered with Amazonian forests. However, an increasing number of colons occupy, legally or not, their land and exploit the resources at the expense of local populations.
A project to assist the local population: The activities of the Confederation of Guarayo Native Peoples (COPNAG) focus mainly on defending the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazonian region and supporting the recognition of indigenous land rights. The Guarayos territory extends over 2.700.000 hectares (6.669.000 acres), but only 1.3500.00 hectares have been recognized as indigenous community land (“Tierra Comunitaria de Origen”). Some areas cannot be taken back as the colons refuse to leave. Forest harvesting is a difficult sector and timber marketing remains a challenge especially because the indigenous organizations have no relevant experience and do not coordinate their work sufficiently. Moreover, road network is underdeveloped and of poor quality which entails delays in supply.
Legal and technical assistance brings results: In the beginning, SOS Faim supported the Guarayo people in their legal battle. Since 2003, we have been helping them to enhance marketing and to strengthen their administrative and accounting systems (mainly through staff training).
Moreover, until 2003 SOS Faim suppored CEADES (Collective of Applied Studies on Social Development) which provided assistance to the farmers in the field of forest management: inventorying various tree species and evaluating their economic potential, elaborating forest management strategies and annual management programmes, timber harvesting (logging and extraction techniques). A market study for timber had been also carried out.
In 2005 COPNAG created its economic branch, AFIG (Indigenous Forestry Association in Guarayos), which has been a direct partner of SOS Faim ever since.
