Boosting resilience to climate change in Río Blanco

Part of the Monteverde Indigenous Community Territory (Tierra Comunitaria de Origen – TCO), the Río Blanco Indigenous People live more than 1,200km from Santa Cruz in eastern Bolivia. Comprising over 20 families, they previously relied on subsistence farming. But after the pandemic in 2021, community members considered abandoning their territory due to the lack of livelihood opportunities, which have been affected by climate change.

Forest and Farm Facility activities

Since 2021, the Río Blanco Indigenous People have received technical assistance from the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) to combine modern and traditional practices to manage their forests sustainably. They have conducted plant censuses, produced value-added products from non-timber forest products and strengthened timber-harvesting processes.

The community has also strengthened its food security by diversifying livelihoods, establishing agroforestry systems and ensuring the availability of water for consumption and production.

The Río Blanco women have formed the Association of Women Entrepreneurs, Las Pioneras (the pioneers). They produce high-value cosmetic products derived from copaibo oil and cusi (babassu palm) trees. With financial support from the FFF, Las Pioneras has purchased equipment and improved processes for the production of these cosmetics, which were previously made by hand. The association is currently part of an alliance with several other organisations and markets its products under the Ecobosque brand.

In addition, the Río Blanco Indigenous People identified the need to restore their water sources and to harvest water for the dry season for production and household consumption, as one of the defining characteristics of the Chiquitano forest is its dry soil and low annual rainfall. To address this issue, they built three retention ponds to store more than 40,000m³ of water, along with three metal-panel cisterns, each with a capacity of 53,000m³, enabling them to store a total of 136,000m³ of water.

Significance of impact

We stayed because we can cultivate the land and care for the forest

The Río Blanco Indigenous People used to rely on livestock and a few crops for food. Now, they have diversified their crops and established agroforestry systems, integrating coffee, avocado and other fruits. They also produce corn and have acquired a sheller and a mill for processing food byproducts. To further diversify their produce, they are establishing fish-farming systems in reservoirs, with plans to harvest benton, pacú and shad fish species this year.

They have also conducted plant censuses and established a management area, restoring more than 314 hectares of forest with native forest species. Families have developed a 1,500-hectare forest management plan for timber harvesting in compliance with regulations from the Forest and Land Authority.

Additionally, they have adopted innovations such as a portable sawmill, a kiln that reduces and standardises the drying process, and a community carpentry shop where they produce furniture.

Conclusion

With FFF support, the Río Blanco Indigenous People have now diversified their livelihoods through agroforestry systems, utilising both timber and non-timber forest products. Currently, these initiatives serve as a model and can be replicated and expanded to the other 119 native communities in this territory.

Further reading

Democratising forest business: a compendium of successful locally controlled forest business organisations. Duncan Macqueen, Anna Bolin, Martin Greijmans (eds) (2015), project report

News: Bolivian producers build skills in climate resilience, Forest and Farm Facility (2025)

News: Combining Indigenous traditions and modern practices to preserve forests in Bolivia, Forest and Farm Facility (2024)

News: Water harvesting: a solution to prevent the migration of an Indigenous community, Forest and Farm Facility (2025)