Forest sector turns to carbon credits and ecosystem services at third symposium

The forestry sector will gather in Concepción on Saturday, September 5, to examine whether ecosystem services and carbon credits can open new economic opportunities for forests under management.

The third Forest Symposium 2026, titled “The Importance of Forest Ecosystem Services under Forest Management,” will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Concepción Livestock Fairgrounds. It forms part of the sixth Chiquitanía Forest Fair 2026.

The event, organized by the Bolivian Council for Voluntary Forest Certification, or CFV/FSC Bolivia, will bring together public officials, specialists, communities and industry representatives. Discussions will cover the Forest and Land Authority’s new approach to expanding forest management, the certification of ecosystem services based on the experience of UCPN Tucabaca, and opportunities for Chaco forests.

Participants will also address community forest management and the scope of the Framework Law on Climate and Biodiversity Finance. Alfredy Álvarez, executive director of the Forest and Land Authority, will present the institution’s new approach, while Deputy Environment and Biodiversity Minister Jorge Ávila will discuss the proposed law.

CFV/FSC Bolivia board president Orlando Melgarejo said the challenge was to ensure that managed forests also create economic opportunities for the people who oversee them. The symposium will conclude with working groups on forest policies and ecosystem services in community forest-management plans, followed by the presentation of conclusions and recommendations. Attendance is free but requires prior registration.

“

The challenge is to ensure that our forests under management also generate economic opportunities for those who manage them. Ecosystem services open a new agenda for the forestry sector, and we need to build, between the public and private sectors and communities, the conditions to take advantage of these opportunities.