Bolivia has 53 million hectares of natural forest, of which 63% (33.5 million hectares) is used exclusively for forestry purposes, and 8.5 million hectares are under sustainable forest management.

Natural forests in Bolivia have a wide variety of uses, such as wood, food for animals, grazing, recreation, medicine and many others. They are a source of complementary traditional resources for subsistence among rural and indigenous communities in the lowlands. Forest resources are also the foundation of a growing industry, as well as generate employment and income for the state and local governments.

Some of the benefits obtained from the forests include:

• Maintain pure air, since forests are the most important producers of oxygen and absorbers of carbon dioxide
• Contribute in producing and purifying drinking water
• Regulate climate (temperature, rain, solar radiation, humidity)
• Mitigate extreme climate conditions, such as storms and floods
• Help conserve medicinal plants and other species yet to be discovered
• Represent areas of recreation, meditation and spirituality
• Provide food and shelter to animals and plants
• Contribute in forming and maintaining soil fertility
• Help control plagues and diseases
• Provide resources and raw material to build homes, and thus contribute to generating income.