Fair deals for watershed services in Bolivia

Natural Resource Issues No. 7

Although Bolivia is one of the countries with the most water per capita in the world, and demand is about 1% of supply, localised water scarcity continues to breed conflicts. Despite many attempts at integrated watershed management, there have been few successes. Projects have rarely focused on improving efficiency or managing demand. Management has usually been through top-down laws and regulations, few of which have succeeded. This report assesses whether market tools can improve watershed management, and the livelihoods of watershed residents. It describes the studies commissioned as part of the analysis, what they were intended to assess, and their findings. The report concludes by offering lessons learned for negotiating fair deals for watershed services in Bolivia