Making Timber Accessible to Forest Communities: A Study on Locally-Adapted, Motor-Manual Forest Management Schemes in the Eastern Lowlands of Bolivia

Forest communities around the world have great difficulties in utilizing the economic potential of their forests, especially timber, under current technical requirements and legal frameworks. The present study examines the feasibility of motor-manual forest management among indigenous Chiquitano communities in Bolivia's Eastern Lowlands. With a focus on sustainable timber harvesting, it evaluates local practices, tests technical optimization options, and assesses their technical, financial, and environmental impacts. Findings reveal that traditional motor-manual timber production is scarcely profitable, exacerbated by burdensome legal frameworks and limited market access. However, motor-manual forest management remains an essential source of income for communities, and it constitutes an important option for rural development. Field tests demonstrate that with the use of better equipment such as high quality chainsaws, and improved maintenance and workflows, productivity and profitability of local logging can be enhanced. Despite low environmental impact, optimized motor-manual forest management continues to be constrained by governance challenges, logistical limitations, and limitrfd markets for locally produced timber. The study recommends a holistic approach to optimize these aspects, including targeted technical support, market development, simplified legal frameworks, and the setting up of robust local governance structures instead of ineffective centralized command and control approaches. These improvements would enable communities to sustainably manage forests while addressing their socio-economic needs. The findings underscore the potential of logging by local communities as an alternative to large-scale mechanized logging.