A Quantitative Analysis of Livelihoods in Community Forestry in the Northern Bolivian Amazon

Abstract

A large share of the World’s tropical forests are used and managed by local communities. The wise management and conservation of these forests depends on the success of community forest management (CFM). On the other hand, livelihoods of forest-dependent people directly depend on the successful management of their forests. Little is known about the factors that determine the success of community forest management. Understanding this has important implications for development and conservation efforts. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify drivers of successful community forest management, also in the context of environmental and political changes. This thesis reports on a quantitative analysis of local livelihood strategies, success of community forest management and responses to changing social–ecological systems. The study was conducted in the Northern Bolivian Amazon, an area where forest use by communities has a long history and is economically and socially vital. Main findings are that local livelihood assets importantly determine resource use strategies of households, that success of community forest management is strongly context-dependent, and that communities and households have a large capacity to adapt to changing political realities