Amplifying Voices and Local Solutions from the Indigenous Central Amanecer Roboré
The VCA programme alliance partner in Bolivia, WWF, together with local partners, has found fertile ground in the Chiquitanía to demonstrate how locally led solutions can transform realities. Along this path, the Chiquitana Indigenous Central Amanecer Roboré (CICHAR) and its Cacique (highest authority), Nardy Velasco, have become a living example of how women, youth, and members of indigenous communities can articulate the defence of water and build alternative livelihoods in response to the climate crisis.
Published 4 November 2025
Nardy, elected by sixteen indigenous communities, understood from the beginning that water should be the axis of collective work. With the support of her grassroots base and the accompaniment of the VCA programme, she promoted the declaration of the Law for the Protection of Water Resources, drafted by communities themselves. She is recognised as a precedent in the defence of common goods. This achievement marked a starting point for deepening the alliance between indigenous knowledge, community organisation, and the technical and financial support provided by VCA. Through this collaboration, CICHAR accessed the Small Grants Fund for Nature-based Solutions (NbS), implemented by Fundación Semilla as WWF-Bolivia’s local partner. The process began with the restoration of the Tucabaca River headwaters, continued with the planting of chiquitana almond trees in areas affected by fires and the creation of community gardens, which later expanded to cassava production in degraded areas, generating a virtuous cycle of solidarity and production among communities. From this experience emerged a form of orange economy, showcased on the first Saturday of every month at CICHAR’s headquarters, where communities sell their products and share their culture, turning the space into a symbol of local resilience and creativity.
The VCA programme has also been a bridge for youth to strengthen their participation. Through the Next Level Grant Facility (NLGF), implemented by the NGO COMUNA as WWF-Bolivia’s partner, the JICHAR — Chiquitana Indigenous Youth Amanecer Roboré — was able to organise its assembly and renew its board, consolidating its own space for youth leadership, supported by PRODECO, another project partner. Alongside this process, and with the same support, eleven internal documents with norms and procedures were developed to strengthen CICHAR’s community governance, ensuring that its decisions reflect the vision and self-determination of its peoples.
The impact of the VCA project on CICHAR goes beyond the territory. Nardy has brought the voice of her organisation to international spaces such as COP 28, COP 29, and COP 30 on Climate Change, as well as to FOSPA and COP 16 on Biodiversity. In each of these spaces, she has shown that local solutions led by indigenous communities and strengthened by projects like VCA are effective responses to global challenges. Each time Nardy returns from these gatherings, her learnings are brought back to Roboré, transformed into workshops, assemblies, and community replicas.
Today, under the umbrella of the VCA programme alliance partner WWF-Bolivia, CICHAR not only restores lands and protects water sources but also builds economic alternatives, promotes youth participation, and positions women as leaders capable of engaging as equals in global spaces. This experience demonstrates that climate justice is built from local voices, and that when these voices are strengthened, they can transform both their territory and the way the world understands conservation.
