Case Studies UNDP: TSIMANE MOSETENE REGIONAL COUNCIL OF PILON LAJAS

7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: TSIMANE MOSETENE REGIONAL COUNCIL OF PILON LAJAS

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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities

Bolivia

TSIMAN MOSETENEREGIONAL COUNCIL,PILN LAJAS

Empowered live

Resilient nation


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UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo

or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth

their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition

themselves guiding the narrative.

To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmtal conservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take lo

success to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve

models or replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence toThe Power of Local Action: Lessofrom 10 Years of the Equator Prize, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case materi

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiatives searchable case study database.

EditorsEditor-in-Chief: Joseph CorcoranManaging Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe

Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,

Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu

DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la Pa

Brandon Payne, Mariajos Satizbal G.

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Tsiman Mosetene Regional Council, Piln Lajas, and in particular the guida

and inputs o Clemente Caymani. All photo credits courtesy o the Tsiman Mosetene Regional Council, Piln Lajas. Maps courtesy o C

World Factbook and Wikipedia.

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. Tsiman Mosetene Regional Council, Piln Lajas, Bolivia. Equator Initiative Case Stu

Series. New York, NY.
http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdf


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PROJECT SUMMARYTsiman Mosetene Regional Council o Piln Lajas works

in Bolivias Biosphere Reserve to conserve biodiversity and

to protect the rights o the indigenous peoples within the

Reserve. The Regional Council jointly manages the Reserve

with Bolivias National Service o Protected Areas.

In addition to saeguarding wildlie in the protected area

by tackling poaching, advancing sustainable agriculture

and developing a orestry management plan, the Regional

Council group has been involved in the construction o

schools in 14 dierent communities. Additional activitiesaimed at improving local livelihoods include organic honey

production, the establishment o associations or coee

and cocoa growers, and support or local artisans.

KEY FACTSEQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2010

FOUNDED: 1992

LOCATION: La Paz and Beni Departments, Bolivia

BENEFICIARIES: 22 indigenous communities

BIODIVERSITY: Piln Lajas Biosphere Reserve

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TSIMAN MOSETENE REGIONALCOUNCIL, PILN LAJASBolivia

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Context 4

Key Activities and Innovations 6

Biodiversity Impacts 8

Socioeconomic Impacts 8

Policy Impacts 9

Sustainability 10

Replication 11

Partners 11


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4

n 1990, the March or the Dignity and Territory o the Indigenous

owland Villages in La Paz, Bolivia gave the natives o the Piln

ajas territory, located in the departments o La Paz and Beni, the

pportunity to demand the establishment o Biosphere Reserve

RB) and Communal Lands (TCO) designations in Piln Lajas. In

992, their demands were met, resulting in the Indigenous Territory

Declaration, Decree No. 23110, which recognizes the existence o

he Piln Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands (RB-TCO

iln Lajas), encompassing 540 square miles o orest in the Piln

ajas territory. In the same year, the Tsiman Mosetene Regional

Council (Consejo Regional Tsiman Mosetene, CRTM) was created

with the mission o conserving the biodiversity o Piln Lajas and

mproving the living conditions o its local residents, the Tsimannd Mosetene communities. CRTM was ounded also as a necessity

o protect against the subjugation that the indigenous communities

Piln Lajas were suering at the hands o loggers and settlers.

he mountain ranges o Piln, Chepete, Beu and Muchanes are

within the interior o Piln Lajas, where there is signicant plant and

ird diversity. In the mountain range o Piln alone, 332 bird species

ave been identied. Most o the protected areas northern portion

s ormed by the Piln Mountain Range, while its southern portion

xtends over the Chepite and Muchanes Mountains, reaching an

ltitude o 2,000 meters. In addition, there is a protected corridor

n the Biosphere Reserve that comprises Piln Lajas, Apolobamba

nd Madidi in Bolivia, and Tambopata and Bahuaja Sonene in Peru.his protected corridor is home to a biodiverse mountain orest and

s a sanctuary or the spectacled bear (tremarctos ornatus), jaguarpanthera onca) and military macaw (ara militaris).

Representing indigenous communities

CRTM is an indigenous organization that represents all o the

ndigenous communities o RB-TCO Piln Lajas and its adjoining

reas o inuence. Specically, CRTM represents 22 indigenous

ommunities that reside in the Biosphere Reserve. These

communities include 336 amilies (2080 people), belonging m

to the Mosetene and Tsiman indigenous ethnic groups, along

amilies rom the Tacana and Esse Ejas ethnic groups.

CRTMs mission is to become the valid and legitimate negotiato

the inhabitants o RB-TCO Piln Lajas at local, regional and nat

levels; to deend and strengthen the constitutional rights o

communities; to manage public and private technical and econ

support based on integrated land management and hu

development o the indigenous population that it represents; an

preserve the natural and cultural heritage o the territory.

Background and Context


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CRTMs endeavors resulted in the consolidation o the indigenous

roperty rights o nearly 1,500 square miles o land. In addition,

CRTM helped to establish a sustainable orestry joint management

lan, protected important water basins that supply water to more

han 8,000 people in the surrounding region, and leveraged support

or the construction o schools or 14 communities.

rom 1991 to 2001, CRTM did not operate continuously. Its actions

uring that time ocused on emergency response. In 2001, CRTMnderwent a restructuring o its board and since then, with the

ort o CRTM leadership and the support o NGOs and public

nstitutions, the organization has had continuity in its management,

with signicant results to date.

CRTM is governed by three authoritative bodies: the Congress o

Communities, the Consultative Assembly and the Assembly o

Magistrates. The Congress o Communities is the legal decision-

making body o CRTM, and convenes every three years in order to

lect CRTMs leadership council. This leadership council comprises a

resident, a vice-president, an administrator o lands and territories, a

ealth director, an education director and a womens aairs director.

he Consultative Assembly meets once a year. The Assembly o

Magistrates traditionally convenes three times a year and also holds

pecial meetings when urgent matters arise. CRTM has, throughout

the years o its existence, grown in its administrative capabili

the point where it now shares administrative responsibilitie

the management o protected areas, which are also indige

territories, with the National Service o Protected Areas (SERNA

A document ormulated by CRTM, The Management Plan and

Plan, serves as a guide or the administration o the protected

This document was drated in a highly participatory manner

input rom all o the communities in the area, under the direco the leadership council o CRTM, and with the support o qua

proessionals. This document sets orth goals and objec

with respect to the conservation o biodiversity and sustain

development, to which each o the communities and CRTM

governing body are committed, with a ten-year projection.

strategic planning is reected in annual operating plans, prep

with the participation o the leadership council, muni

authorities and the authorities o the reserve, in which activitie

programmed to suit both the mission and the vision o RB-TCO

Lajas, jointly managed by the CRTM and SERNAP.

CRTM works in a coordinated and organized manner to pro

the homeland o these indigenous populations, to preserve

cultures and ways o lie, and to seek to improve the quality o l

their people in harmony with the environment.


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Key Activities and Innovations

he main objectives o the initiative are to consolidate the territory,

productive sector and basic services o the Biosphere Reserve and

Communal Lands in order to address the needs o the communities,

mprove quality o lie, and strengthen management capabilities

nd integrated land management.

he Management Plan and Lie Plan or the Biosphere Reserve and

Communal Lands established seven main programs:

Administration and Management, which ocuses on planning,

coordination, and training;

. Conservation and Biodiversity Protection, involving prevention,

conict resolution, control and surveillance;i. Development and Sustainable Use o Natural Resources in

Indigenous and Settler Communities;

v. Tourism, including ecotourism, marketing, promotion and

integration o tourism;

. Participatory and Integrated Monitoring and Scientic Research;

i. Environmental Training, Education, Communication, and

Dissemination;

ii. Equity-building Co-management and Regional Integration,

which includes participatory management, organizational

building and human development.

he joint management model adopted by CRTM carries orward

ntegrated land management or the conservation o biodiversityhrough productive projects that help communities increase their

ncomes. Productive projects are approved by environmental

uthorities to ensure proper processes o implementation that are

armless to RB-TCO Piln Lajas.

Developing alternative livelihoods

he organization has been relatively successul in meeting the

eeds o the population o RB-TCO Piln Lajas. However, community

emands are many and the organization, in its role as manager and

transmitter, has only been able to obtain and implement small g

and projects. Between 2006 and 2011, CRTM implemented a num

o productive projects many o which have recently begun to

ruit. These projects aim to develop alternative livelihood op

and sources o income or the population o RB-TCO Piln Laj

reduce their dependence on orest-risk activities and improve

quality o lie.

Cocoa production was developed in seven communitie

the Quiquibey River area and in twelve communities along

Yucomo-Rurrenabaque Road. Also by Quiquibey River, a project

implemented to development the production and manageme

jatata (a type o palm lea) in the river. Forest management plans instituted in three communities along the Yucumo-Rurrenab

Road to allow orest resources to be used in a sustainable ma

Other projects aimed at diversication o livelihoods include

installation o a small carpentry business, and some small

projects to develop activities in ruit-handling and weaving o

mats.


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otable water supplies in ten Piln Lajas communities were

eveloped with the assistance o NGOs and the city o Rurrenabaque,

while a radio communication system has been made available to all

the communities.

Combining local knowledge with management innovation

A key innovation has been the development o the jointmanagement approach or the protected area. This began in 2003

nd has subsequently been promoted by CRTM at the national

evel. As a result, this approach has become a model o participatory

management at the national level and is now an institutional policy

SERNAP.

In jointly managing the reserve, CRTM has acquired impor

expertise on integrated land management, which complem

the important traditional and cultural empirical knowledge o

indigenous communities. In doing so, CRTM has established itse

an important point o reerence and example or other groups.

The joint management o the reserve resulted in the expulsio

logging companies that were ound inside the territory, andexpulsion o illegal land invaders who raided the area, managin

establish a system o joint protection between the SERNAP ran

and the communities that inhabit the reserve communal lands.

CRTM advises other communities that the entire community must be convinced that they ca

generate income while maintaining biodiversity conservation. [They must] have clearly identifie

the resources they have and which ones they can make better use of.

Clemente Caymani, Tsiman Mosetene Regional Council, Piln Lajas


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8

Impacts

BIODIVERSITY IMPACTS

The administrative activities o CRTM in RB-TCO Piln Lajas led to the

chievement o a number o important results. The reversal o the

Berna timber concession in the interior o the protected area avoided

direct adverse impacts such as the construction o roads within the

eserve, and indirect impacts such as clandestine hunting along the

oads leading into the reserve. Collaborative mapping and zoning

o the most biodiverse areas was carried out and a strict protection

policy was established. Certain areas have been designated or

ourism use or low-impact activities such as the gathering o non-

imber orest products.

ince the expulsion o logging companies and the instigation o

he joint management plan, populations o animals that once were

eriously endangered or rarely observed are recovering. It is now

ommon to spot groups o peccaries, monkeys, macaws and other

pecies that were previously difcult to nd.

The implementation o conservation-riendly projects, such

s ecotourism, has also contributed to the recovery o animal

populations. The job o protecting biodiversity is done according

o the management zoning established in the Management Plan

nd Lie Plan, with emphasis on protecting vulnerable areas o the

eastern sector o the area surrounded by rural settlements locatedlong the Sapecho-Yucumo-Rurrenabaque road.

Developing a biodiversity dataset

While quantitative data is currently unavailable, through a new

measurement system that was recently implemented there will soon

be accurate data on the change in biodiversity in the territory o the

RB-TCO. This participatory monitoring and risk management process

measures the impacts on biodiversity. The process o structuring the

monitoring system is being conducted in a participatory ma

between CRTM, indigenous communities, SERNAP, the Found

or the Development o the National System o Protected A

(Fundacin para el Desarrollo del Sistema Nacional de reas Prote FUNDESNAP) and the Wildlie Conservation Society (WCS) Bo

CRTM and the RB-TCO Piln Lajas administration will be in char

its implementation.

There has been an increase in knowledge on the part o indige

inhabitants, as well as increased recognition o threats to

reserve. Resolutions have been enacted by the Assembl

Magistrates demanding respect o the right o ree, prior,

inormed consent on behal o indigenous peoples, and demanstrategic evaluation o proposals or hydrocarbon exploration

exploitation, the construction o dams and the construction o p

roads that might threaten the area. The Assembly o Magistrat

CRTM has declared its support or control and monitoring activ

on the part o park rangers in order to combat encroachme

orest-risk activities into the park and increase vigilance in the

vulnerable areas.

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

The Communal Lands o RB-TCO Piln Lajas are shared by va

indigenous communities who are native to the region and

brought together by population growth. CRTMs beneciaries artotal TCO population, 100 per cent o the beneciaries are indigen

All beneciaries live in rural areas with their communities. Onl

leadership o CRTM is located in the town o Rurrenabaque.

Despite CRTMs eorts, 60 per cent o beneciaries live below Bo

national poverty line. The population o the reserve is princi

engaged in small-scale agriculture, the collection o berries

orest products, and subsistence hunting and shing, with a s

number o people involved production o jatata and cocoa.


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With the consolidation o the reserve and the departure o the

ogging companies rom the territory, collection berries, hunting

and shing now meet subsistence needs. Thus, productive

nitiatives, such as jatata, cocoa, rice and banana production, are

aimed at income generation to improve household welare and

diversiy income sources to avoid dependency. Income-generating

ustainable production activities give households larger disposable

ncome to spend on education and health services. CRTM estimates

hat the average household income has risen by 30 per cent since2005. This is due to an increase in the sale o surplus and to the

avings rom obtaining ruits and animals rom the orest more easily.

n the various projects implemented by CRTM, indirect jobs have

been created, including in agriculture at the technical level, in

ranslation in the production o bilingual educational materials, and

hrough the employment o health workers in each community.

n order to capitalize on increased tourism, there are plans to collect

ncome or the communities rom tourists visits to RB-TCO Piln

Lajas, some o which will be allocated to health and education

projects. There are also education grants that can be obtained by

hose managing the organization. In addition, the governmentupports the implementation o bilingual education in the region.

As there is no baseline data available regarding the livelihoods o the

communities beore CRTMs establishment, it is difcult to measure

improvements. However, some estimates can be made b

on specic production initiatives. Collectively, jatata produ

currently produce approximately 10,000 pieces o jatata per

and now receive a air price o 10 bolivianos (USD 1.40) or

piece or a gross income o 100,000 bolivianos (USD 14,265) per

Previously, they produced approximately 4,000 pieces and were

4 bolivianos per piece, or a total o 16,000 bolivianos (USD 2

per year. This anecdotal evidence alone is indicative o a signi

improvement in the livelihoods o community members toucheCRTMs projects.

POLICY IMPACTS

As mentioned above, CRTM shares administrative responsibilit

the management o the protected areas - which are also indige

territories - with SERNAP, an entity o the Ministry o Water and

Environment.

However, CRTM continues to ght against certain governm

policies, including the construction o the Bala Dam, the constru

o a road on the eastern boundary o the land, and oil extrac

These policies aect the well-being o the territory in many wWhile CRTM is not against development, its stance is that po

at the national level need to be established through conse

consultation and the direct participation o communities.

9


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Sustainability and Replication

SUSTAINABILITYhe Management Plan and Lie Plan have clearly dened social,

nvironmental and economic objectives as well as strategic

uidelines or the achievement o these objectives. However, CRTM

as aced some difculty achieving these goals in the short term.

Communities are aware o the importance o conservation and

ustainable management o resources, but as conservation alone

oes not provide or basic community needs, it can be difcult to

onsistently maintain conservation goals. Achieving projects that can

evelop sustainable production initiatives in the shortest timerame

ossible is imperative. It is also important or CRTM to achieve

nancial sustainability in order to consolidate its management androtection o the land. The objectives and the strategies necessary

o achieve sustainability are clear. What are needed now are the

esources to do so.

Developing a long term vision

A variety o successul partnerships resulted in the nancial stability

CRTM over the past decade, although work needs to be done to

nsure its economic sustainability in the longer term. This lack o

onger term nancial sustainability is a current challenge or CRTM

nd has the ability to delay its operations. Economic constraints

urrently prohibit complete sustainability since the development o

ntegrated land management and the generation o environmentalenets requires economic resources. Uncertainty regarding the

ong term unding o the initiative threatens the conservation o the

orest, since, i community members are unable to achieve sufcient

evenue through productive activities, there is a risk that they will

enerate income through the exploitation o natural resources.

However, there is now ull community ownership and identication

the organization, thereby ensuring social sustainability o the

nitiative within the communities it represents and there are

many actors that contribute to the sustainability o the territory

and o CRTM, such as capacity-building, human resource tra

and community participation. However, these require contin

nancial resources and support or the organization until such

as CRTM is capable o sustaining these activities independently

Undoubtedly the greatest strength o the organization is

willingness and interest o leaders and communities to manag

territory. They are aware that good planning o natural resourc

will ensure preservation o biodiversity and their own culture. Soc

it is important to continue to support organizational strengthe

and capacity-building by targeting current leadership as we

youth leadership. CRTM has developed, through the support o

German Society or Technical Cooperation (GTZ) under the GerDevelopment Service (DED), a training program or young lea

rom communities in various areas under its jurisdiction.

Also, strengthening current partnerships and orming

partnerships to contribute technically and nancially to

management o the Biosphere Reserve and TCO Piln Laj

essential, since alone, neither SERNAP nor CRTM has the econ

capacity to address the management o the reserve in the long t

CRTM emphasizes that, in order to succeed, the entire comm

must be convinced that they can generate sufcient income w

maintaining biodiversity conservation. The community must cl

identiy the resources they possess and the resources they cuse more efciently. All this must be agreed upon, as in CR

case, the most difcult challenges arose when the rst phase o

project ended and it ell to the community to continue on their

Sustainability is difcult, especially when there are ew na

resources and many needs and demands. A commitment

willingness on the part o community members and their lea

allows or progress, albeit slow, in order to eventually ach

sustainability. Skills, knowledge and experience are increas

being acquired by CRTM sta, gradually creating a stronger pres

and moving toward sel-sustainability.


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1111

REPLICATION

RTM is a pioneer in the establishment o the joint management

model at the national level. Through the process o regularization

property rights and territorial protection, the organization has

nuenced other groups by serving as a positive example o land

management. The organizations successes have strengthened its

ole as a representative o indigenous communities to local and

ational government agencies, as well as at the structural level oertinent social organizations such as the Conederacin de Pueblos

ndgenas de Bolivia (CIDOB).

PARTNERS

he ollowing partner organizations have supported CRTM since its

stablishment:

WCS Bolivia and the German Development Service have

een supporting the sustainability o CRTM mainly through

rganizational strengthening and capacity-building or land

management, homeland deense and the generation o newrojects, with both nancial and human resources. They are also

unding some operational activities to provide sustainability to the

rganization as well as working on capacity-building and human

esource training or young leaders in the communities. The German

ociety or Technical Cooperation(under the German Developmentervice) also provided technical assistance in aspects o agricultural

roduction projects.

UNDESNAP provided nancial support or land protection,

monitoring, impact mitigation, capacity-building and

ommunication, and in addition, is providing nancial support

or eorts to strengthen the initiative through advocacy. Servicioudio Mundial is providing assistance with organizational capacityuilding, SERNAP has assisted with territorial protection and the

UMA Foundation provided support or the implementation o

roductive projects.

Other organizations such as Conservation International, the UNDP-

EFSmall Grants Programme, the Inter-American Foundation, theolivian government program or Climate Change, and the Schmitz

oundation in Germany, are unding or have unded projects and

nitiatives to improve sustainable productive initiatives to improve

ousehold income and thus strengthen the conservation o

esources. Conservation International has also provided assistance

n elements o organizational capacity building and bilingual

ducation.


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Equator Initiative

Environment and Energy GroupUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

304 East 45th Street, Room 633A

New York, NY 10017

Tel: +1 646 781-4023

www.equatorinitiative.org

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UNs global development network, advocating or change and

necting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better lie.

The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizati

o recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people, nature and resilient communities.

2012 by Equator Initiative

All rights reserved

FURTHER REFERENCE

Peredo-Videa, B. 2008. The Piln Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Indigenous Territory, Beni, Bolivia. Green College, University o Ox

http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/pilon_lajas_bolivia_report_icca_grassroots_discussions.pd

Painter, R. L. E., Duran, A., Miro, E. 2011. Indigenous Alliances for Conservation in Bolivia. Conservation Biology. Volume 25, Iss

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2011.01767.x/pd

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