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Countries Appendix BOLIVIA (44.6%) Bolivia still has substantial rainforest cover in the lowlands - the Bolivian Amazon covers 229,985 square miles (595,661 square km) of which roughly 68% is forested. From 1986-1990, the country had a very low deforestation rate - about 0.2% annually - though this has substantially increased due to upscaled logging operations. Of 126.2 million acres (51 million hectares) of tropical forest, 49.5 million (20 million ha) (39%) have been granted to timber companies. Reportedly, current timber companies are logging outside of their concession area, thus threatening a much larger forest area than usually considered. In addition, new roads are opening up previously inaccessible areas to exploitation by landless poor. Timber export statistics from Bolivia are understated because much timber is smuggled into Brazil where it is exported as Brazilian wood. The government has passed laws that require the logging industry to replant forests to ensure sustainability, but most firms find loopholes to avoid this requirement. Coca and soybean cultivation have also boomed in the 1990s. With increased forest destruction, Bolivia has the second highest annual rate of deforestation in the South America according to FAO 1997 at about 1.2% from 1990-1995. Prior to 1990 deforestation rates remained relatively low due to several factors including the inattention given to lowlands by the Andean-based government, the extreme poverty of the government (it could not afford to offer subsidies to forest developers or construct infrastructure), and the weak export market of this land-locked country. . . . . . For current information I highly recommend trying the CIA and FAO links below. |
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