Associated researcher of the Botanical Institute Bonn Bolivia has access to the most important ecological regions of tropical South America. It is one of the few countries in the world to have a major portion of global biodiversity concentrated within its national boundaries.
Bolivia is also a centre of crop-genetic resources of global importance.
Biodiversity is a main factor in great ethnocultural diversity which implies a broad indigenous knowledge of its utilization for human development. Although Bolivia may be called a 'rich' megadiversity country, it is also one of the world's poorest nations in economic and human development terms. Therefore applied biodiversity and development research is required in order to give advice to decision-makers how a sustainble development including the protection of the rich and unique biological diversity as national and global heritage and its sustainable utilization may be achieved. In this context the Associated Researcher of the Botanical Institute Bonn, Dr. Pierre Ibisch , has carried out projects within a development project of the GTZ .