Bolivia’s forest profile

BOLIVIA: GENERAL INFORMATION

National Flag and Coat of Arms

Geographical extension

Bolivia has an extension of 1,098,581 km2 distributed in forests-woods, savannahs, puna Andean plateaus and wetlands in 3 hydrographical basins: the Amazonas, de la Plata and Endorreic basins.

The Bolivian territory is composed of 10 catchment areas, 270 principal rivers, 184 lakes – lagoons, approximately 260 wetlands and 6 salt lakes.

Population

The Census carried out on September 5, 2001 registered 8,274,325 inhabitants, 5,165,882 of whom (62.4%) in the urban area and 3,108,443 (37.6%) in the rural area.

DID YOU KNOW BOLIVIA IS A FOREST COUNTRY?

Picture: Forestry Superintendency

• It is the sixth country in the world in terms of the highest quantity of natural tropical forests.

• Almost half of its territory is covered with natural forests (53 million hectares).

• 63% (33.5 million hectares) of these forests have an exclusively forest vocation.

• 8.5 million hectares are under forest management.

• The first country in the world in voluntary forest certification with 2.042.855,83 million hectares of sustainably managed forests.

• World leader in Brazil nut exports.

MORE INVESTMENTS FOR THE COUNTRY

• Approximately 100 million dollars are invested in legal timber production.

• Over 35 million dollars in Brazil nut production.

A VIGOROUS NATIONAL FOREST INDUSTRY

• Nearly 1,000 registered companies.

MORE AND BETTER FOREST PRODUCTION

• Certified manufactured high-quality products that are competitive in the international market.

• Bolivia’s wood reserves amount to 317 million m3.

• The sustained timber production potential exceeds 20 million m3 yearly.

MORE FOREIGN EXCHANGE FOR THE COUNTRY AND BENEFITS FOR ITS ECONOMY

• In the last 7 years, contributions to the State worth 37 million dollars.

MORE AND BETTER SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT IN THE COUNTRYSIDE AND THE CITY

• The high value added of the forest production generates a social and economic dynamic that contributes to poverty reduction.

• The forestry sector generates 50 thousand direct jobs every year.

DOES BOLIVIA EXPORT BOTH TIMBER AND NON-TIMBER PRODUCTS?

• Bolivia exports to markets in 49 countries in Europe, North America and South America.

• In the last decade, manufactured products accounted for 80% of forestry exports.

• More than 50 types of manufactured timber and non-timber products are exported.

• More than 20 semi-manufactured products are exported.

• The forestry export potential amounts to 400 million dollars a year.

• 700 million dollars worth of forestry exports over the last 5 years.

• 200 million dollars of certified products.

• Forest products accounted for 11% of total exports in 2003 (117 million dollars).

• 38 million dollars in Brazil nut exports.

• For every dollar spent on importing, the international sale of forest products generates nearly 3 dollars.