AID grant no 511-0780-G-00-1424-00 to the Wilderness Society for biological and economic analysis of sustainable selective logging in Bolivia"s lowland tropical forests

In support of Programa Chimanes, a research program sponsored by the Government of Bolivia to promote sustainable forest management in the Beni Biosphere Reserve, the project will: (1) develop an ecological basis for the sustainable harvest of mahogany; (2) examine the degree to which timber pricing policies in Bolivia encourage unsustainable logging; and (3) suggest alternative pricing systems that would increase government revenues and reduce environmental damage to the forests. The project will also develop (1) a computer software program to help managers evaluate the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of alternative forest management plans; and (2) an educational package for use in training Latin American conservation professionals in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution"s annual conservation training workshop in Bolivia.