The government of Japan has assigned JPY 1,200,000,000 worth of grant aid to the government of Plurinational State of Bolivia for a forestry preservation programme. The programme aims to better preserve and manage the Bolivian Amazon by preventing illegal harvesting, forestation and agro forestry, which releases carbon into the atmosphere. This forms parts of the government of Japan's wider support for developing countries to assist them in protecting their forestry resources and combat global warming.
About 50% of Bolivia is covered by the Amazon and this forest area stores significant amounts of carbon. It is estimated that 300,000 hectares of forest are lost every year due to illegal logging, slash and burn agriculture and poor rainfall, which in turn releases the carbon stored in the forests. The Bolivian government has made efforts to strengthen forest management and this project aims to further develop its forestry management capacity.
As the nominated procurement agent, Crown Agents will be working closely with the Bolivian government to prepare for tendering goods and services, managing contracts and monitoring their delivery.