Fundación para la Conservación del Bosque Chiquitano

Fundación para la Conservación del Bosque Chiquitano (FCBC) is the Foundation for the Conservation of the Chiquitano Forest, a dry tropical forest located in the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It was founded in 1999. The members that are represented on the Founders and Donors Board of FCBC are: Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza (FAN BOLIVIA), Fundación Amigos del Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado (Fuamu), World Conservation Society (WCS), the energy company AEI, and the oil company Shell.

The group was formed when Shell and Enron wanted to put a pipeline through the Chiquitania forest and the local indigenous groups, Organización Indígena Chiquitania, Coordinadora de Pueblos Etnicos de Santa Cruz, La Confederación de Pueblos Indígenas de Bolivia (CIDOB), along with the agroecology group Productividad Biosfera Medio Ambiente (PROBIOMA) opposed the pipeline. According to PROBIOMA's account, the bank that Shell and Enron were requesting a loan from agreed that they would not give the loan unless the oil companies demonstrated the pipeline would not harm the forest.

The current members of FCBC came together for dialogue - along with the World Wildlife Fund and Enron - and the oil companies gave $1 million for the environmental groups to study the ecological impact of the pipeline. Then, on the condition of the environmental groups' certification that the pipeline would not harm the forest, the oil companies formed FCBC along with enviro groups and funded it with $20 million. However, as a result, the indigenous groups expelled the members of FCBC from working in their region. World Wildlife Fund then dropped out due to international pressure, according to PROBIOMA.

Contact Information

 * Calle René Moreno esq. La Riva, Edif. Royal Palm Plaza
 * Santa Cruz de la Sierra - Bolivia
 * Ph: (591-3) 3341017 - 3362272
 * Email: fcbc@fcbc.org.bo
 * Web: http://www.fcbc.org.bo/web/

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Shell
 * Enron
 * World Conservation Society
 * World Wildlife Fund