Deforestation in Paraguay

Problems

• Paraguay's Alarming Deforestation Rates

  Paraguay has one of the highest deforestation rates in Latin America. It is the second most deforested country in the continent, after Brazil. Paraguay's total forest area declined by 17% between 1990 and 2010, from approximately 21.2 million ha to 17.6 million ha.
  
  The forests of the Gran Chaco in Paraguay continue to be the target of illegal deforestation, prompting one of the world's last uncontacted Indigenous nations to reportedly reach out to express their concern over the continued encroachment by outsiders.
  
  The Chaco is a semi-arid plain that covers parts of Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia. It is the second-largest forest ecosystem in Latin America, after the Amazon rainforest, and hosts thousands of plant species and hundreds of animal species, many endemic or endangered. The Chaco is also home to several indigenous communities that depend on the forest for their livelihoods and culture.
  
  At least 5,000 hectares of federally protected land in national parks have been destroyed by illegal deforestation in the past two years. This figure highlights the ongoing deterioration of Paraguay's forest cover. Paraguay lost over 100,000 hectares of primary forests and a massive 6.28 million hectares of tree cover between 2001 and 2019, over a quarter of its total forests, according to data from Global Forest Watch.

• Agricultural expansion

  Chaco has been under increasing pressure from agricultural expansion, driven by the global demand for beef and dairy products. Paraguay is one of the world’s largest exporters of beef and soybeans, and these commodities have become the primary sources of income for the country’s economy. According to Global Forest Watch, Paraguay lost 217,000 hectares (536,219 acres) of natural forest in 2022, equivalent to 66.8 million tons of CO₂ emissions. Since 1985, Paraguay has cleared about 20 percent of its original forest cover, mainly in the Chaco.
  
  The deforestation in Paraguay is mainly caused by large-scale cattle ranching operations that use mechanized methods to clear large rectangular plots of land. These operations often disregard environmental regulations and the land rights of indigenous people. They also use fire as a tool to clear vegetation and prepare pastures, which increases the risk of wildfires and air pollution. 
  
  The world’s sixth-largest producer of beef, Paraguay’s encouragement of meat exportation continues to drive deforestation in the Chaco and threatens a significant number of indigenous communities living there, such as the Ayoreo, Qom, Sanapaná, and others, including uncontacted and isolated tribes.
  
  In September 2020, an investigation by London-based NGO Earthsight exposed the link between the illegal clearances inside PNCAT, a protected territory that’s home to the Ayoreo Totobiegosode people, for cattle ranching, and the leather used by luxury carmakers such as BMW and Jaguar Land Rover.
  
  The report revealed that two ranches within PNCAT — Caucasian SA and a farm belonging to an associate of Cooperativa Chortitzer — were found to have illegally cleared more than 2,700 and 500 hectares, respectively (6,700 and 1,200 acres) between 2018 and 2019.
  
  As a result, several vulnerable species suffer from the loss of habitat or habitat fragmentation. But it also affects the livelihoods of local communities. Indigenous people, who depend on the forest for food and fresh water, struggle to maintain their traditional way of life. Erosion and deforestation are scouring the landscape.
  
  In the wet season, fertile soil gets washed away, and flooding causes salinization. Due to deforestation and increasing climate change, the Chaco-ecoregion's local (indigenous) population will increasingly suffer from extreme droughts and floods, making it more difficult to grow food.
  
  Deforestation in Paraguay is a serious threat to its natural heritage and its people’s well-being. It is also a global concern, contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. Paraguay needs to adopt a more integrated and participatory approach to managing its forests and land resources, considering the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of development.