Interior Atlantic Forest of Paraguay

The Interior Atlantic Forest is one of the most biologically diverse yet threatened ecosystems in the world. The entire Atlantic Forest complex once covered approximately 300 million acres (more than 120 million hectares), spanning portions of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Today only a little more than 7 percent remains, mostly as scattered fragments. Paraguay retains one of the largest Atlantic forest remnants, about 3,236,000 acres of native, original forest —slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut.

Location
Paraguay’s Interior Atlantic Forest covers approximately the eastern half of the country. The Nature Conservancy is currently supporting projects at two locations:

At the heart of Paraguay’s Interior Atlantic Forest in southeastern Paraguay lies the 173,000-acre San Rafael National Park, which is exceptionally rich in terms of biological diversity. San Rafael is a paradise for birds – in fact, more Atlantic Forest endemic bird species live in San Rafael than any other site in Paraguay. In 1997, BirdLife International declared San Rafael the first Important Bird Area (IBA) in Paraguay, making it only the second such site in all of South America.

The 159,000-acre (64,400 hectare) Mbaracayú Natural Reserve in eastern Paraguay near the border with Brazil encompasses a wide range of habitats, including lowland forest, natural grasslands, wetlands, caves and the Jejui River watershed, one of the most important tributaries of the Paraguay River.

Animals
The San Rafael and Mbaracayú reserves play an important role in the protection of several endangered species, including:
     • Jaguar
     • Tapir
     • Collared anteater
     • White-lipped peccary
     • Maned wolf

Out of 80 Atlantic Forest endemic bird species documented in Paraguay, 69 have been recorded in San Rafael. In fact, nearly 400 bird species and 61 mammal species are found here. Although only limited studies have been undertaken in San Rafael, it is known to hold populations of 12 globally threatened bird species and 15 near-threatened species. More common denizens include:
     • Harpy eagle
     • Blue-winged macaw
     • Red-and-green macaw
     • Bare-faced curassow
     • Black-fronted piping guan
     • Bare-throated bellbird (Paraguay’s national bird)
     • Yellow-Browed Woodpecker
     • Saffron Toucanet

Plants
Several precious soft and hardwood tree species area are found in the San Rafael reserve, including the yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis), a tree that has been used for medicinal purposes by the local Guarani indigenous peoples for centuries. The Mbaracayú reserve boasts an unusually high occurrence of ferns, ranging in size from those with leaves just millimeters wide to tree ferns several meters tall.

Why the Conservancy Works Here
In recent years, Paraguay has experienced the most rapid rate of deforestation in all of South America. Much of this has come at the expense of the country’s lush Interior Atlantic Forest region, where more than 90% of the population lives.

The San Rafael and Mbaracayú reserves represent two of the largest remaining tracts of Atlantic Forest in Paraguay. Their ecological integrity continues to be threatened by:
     • Upstream contamination from soil erosion
     • Improper use of agrochemicals
     • Illegal poaching and timber extraction
     • Illicit crops
     • Invasive species
     • Illegal use of fire

What the Conservancy Is Doing
In order to maximize the Conservancy’s effort in the Atlantic Forest, working with partner conservation organizations has played a central strategic role. Collaboration with other entities, such as federal and local governments, cooperatives, and local communities, has been crucial to develop conservation-friendly policies and strategies to create long-term sustainability for the area.

Drawing upon successful strategies developed in other parts of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, the Conservancy seeks to protect San Rafael through private land initiatives such as land acquisition, the establishment of private reserves with permanent protection status, and reserve management. Local partner Guyra Paraguay has taken the lead in influencing public policy, collaborating with other local NGOs, and promoting community education with indigenous groups. Guyra also launched a land acquisition campaign to purchase land within the San Rafael Managed Resources Reserve, which resulted in the consolidation of a 14,544-acre segment.

The Conservancy has been supporting the work of Fundación Moises Bertoni (FMB) since 1990 in the management and protection of the Mbaracayú Forest Natural Reserve through educational and social projects. Furthermore, FMB’s conservation programs are enhanced by collaboration with the Ache indigenous community (a group of hunter-gatherers who only first made “contact” with Western civilization in 1978), as well as with several indigenous Guaraní communities..

Images (top-bottom): Blue morpho butterfly at Mbaracayu Forest Nature Reserve © Miguel Morales; Ache indian at Mbaracayu Forest Nature Reserve © Raul Gauto; San Rafael, Paraguay © Guyra Paraguay