<narrative xml:lang="EN">Community timber from Bolivia</narrative>

NL-KVK-27378529-FVOM20009

Netherlands Enterprise Agency

<narrative xml:lang="EN">Community timber from Bolivia</narrative> The project aims to fight poverty in local indigenous communities near the forest concession of Dekma Bolivia SA, in the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.Poverty causes deforestation and also contributes to the rapidly advancing agricultural frontier. Through this project, residents of communities gain access to a high-quality value chain for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified timber through Dekma Bolivia SA. Selling their wood at higher prices makes it possible for the involved residents to improve their livelihoods, while at the same time managing the forest in a sustainable way. The project also provides communities with training on several issues such as sustainable management of forests and fire prevention and fire fighting. Forest fires are an increasing phenomenon in Bolivia, due to settlement policy of the Bolivian government, giving land to communities from outside the region (new settlers) with virtually no historically connection to the land and with far less moral restrictions to set fire to the forest in order to create agricultural land as well as due to climate change. The project also enabled Dekma to further invest in fire fighting and fire fighting equipment.In the Netherlands, in addition to Dekker Hout B.V., Maxeda/Praxis support the sale of this FSC-certified and sustainable wood. Furthermore, this project serves as a pilot within FSC for the approach to community certification. FSC has now introduced a special procedure to facilitate forest communities to get FSC-certified: the continuous improvement procedure.

Dekker Hout B.V.

Dekma Bolivia S.A.

Maxeda DIY B.V.

Netherlands Enterprise Agency