South America’s ‘lab’ for nature conservation
Established in 1987 as Conservation International’s first field office, Conservation International-Bolivia works to protect nature in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. We collaborate with government and Indigenous partners to strengthen protected areas in the Amazon while supporting communities’ livelihoods and well-being.
In 1988, Conservation International-Bolivia spearheaded the world’s first debt-for-nature swap — an innovative financial mechanism that helps countries fund the protection of nature. The swap secured the protection of some 1.6 million hectares (4 million acres) of rainforest in the Bolivian Amazon that is home to Indigenous communities, endangered wildlife and more species of birds than all North America.
Nearly 40 years later, debt-for-nature swaps are a mainstay of global conservation. And Bolivia has become a laboratory of sorts for the protection of nature, field-testing ideas that would eventually spread around the world — from ecotourism to municipal leadership in creating protected areas.
We work closely with Indigenous peoples to promote the sustainable use of natural resources and ensure a healthy Amazon for all.
