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Conservation Project News

Conservation projects news from the World Land Trust, an international wildlife conservation charity working to protect threatened wildlife habitats worldwide.

This page shows the most recent projects news updates, or a selection of posts in the same category. To read older posts, use the projects news archive in the navigation bar on this page. The newest posts can always be found at www.worldlandtrust.org/news/projects-news.htm.

Conservation projects news on this page:

Tuesday, 2 February 2010:

World Land Trust project partners establish presence in the Paraguayan Chaco 

Guyra Paraguay, the World Land Trust's project partner in Paraguay, has been given a piece of land in Mariscal Estigarribia, one of the largest towns in the central Chaco, initiating a project named 'Sustainable Mariscal Estigarribia'. Guyra Paraguay plans to build a small office in the town in order to create an institutional presence in the Chaco - an important step in the management of three protected areas that Guyra, the World Land Trust and the Paraguayan Ministry of the Environment are collectively responsible for under a Tripartite agreement.

Mariscal Estigarribia, situated in the Department of Boquerón, is the commercial centre for the surrounding region, with a population of around 7,000. It is a strategically-important area, with its position facilitating access to the National Parks and protected areas in the northern Chaco. It is hoped that this innovative agreement will create employment and build capacity of the local people in education, health, environment and sustainable production.

More information

Learn more about the project in Paraguay
See an interview with Guyra Paraguay's Executive Director, Alberto Yanosky talking about the organisation's conservation work, on YouTube.

Labels: Paraguay

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Thursday, 28 January 2010:

Paraguayan Eco Club impresses corporate supporters with their environmental work 

In 2005, Guyra Paraguay, project partner of the World Land Trust (WLT), established an open community group for the people of the remote town of Bahía Negra, the nearest population to the Pantanal Reserve and Three Giants Biological Station. Since then the Eco Club Pantanal Paraguayo, consisting mainly of young people, has gone from strength to strength.

The Eco Club outside the Bahía Negra radio station, which the club helped to set up.

The group undertakes a variety of activities, including bird surveys with Guyra Paraguay staff, arranging local events and visiting the nearby reserve and biological station. They have a newly-built cultural centre, which houses a small library as well as the radio station the club started; 'Bahía Negra Radio Poty', which broadcasts in the local Guaraní language.

The mission of the Eco Club is "Working for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the Paraguayan Pantanal through the awareness of local people" and so successful has the Eco Club been in training and improving prospects for the young people of this remote town, that two of the members have recently been recruited to work as National Park Rangers in Defensores del Chaco. This is part of the management for three protected areas in the northern Chaco, under the Tripartite agreement between the World Land Trust, Guyra Paraguay and the Paraguayan Ministry of the Environment.

A representative from WLT's corporate supporters, Swire Pacific Offshore (SPO), visited Bahía Negra in October 2008 and was so impressed by the work and activities of the Eco Club that SPO recently sent the Eco Club a gift package containing educational material.

SPO is working in collaboration with WLT and Guyra Paraguay to explore the potential for a carbon sequestration project in the Chaco-Pantanal and Atlantic Forests of Paraguay. SPO is an international shipping company based in Singapore, providing services to a diverse range of sectors including the oil and gas industries and fisheries protection. The company has a strong CSR policy and has made the decision to become 'carbon neutral'; introducing a comprehensive programme of energy efficiency and a commitment to offset its unavoidable carbon dioxide emissions.

The Eco Club members were very pleased with their gift and sent a hand-written letter of thanks to SPO.

Labels: Paraguay

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Monday, 7 December 2009:

Jaguar visits Paraguayan Community 

One important aspect of conservation is community outreach and education, to inspire local people to get involved in protecting the wildlife living on their doorstep.

World Land Trust partners, Guyra Paraguay have been getting in to the spirit of environmental education recently with the help of their flagship species; the Jaguar. As part of the Pride Campaign, Guyra Paraguay's conservation work and care for the environment were promoted through a series of events encouraging local people to take pride in the environment they live in.

Top: The jaguar in its natural habitat and above: visiting wildlife fans of all ages in Puerto Dianna. Click on the images to see larger versions.

Eco Club Pantanal Paraguayo, a local conservation group in the Pantanal organised the activities, which included a Jaguar mascot visiting the indigenous Ishir community in Puerto Dianna, Northern Paraguay. The children enjoyed a few races with the Jaguar before he had to move on to visit the people in Bahía Negra, the isolated community on the shore of the Black River where the Eco Club is based. Handing out education leaflets, the Jaguar encouraged everyone he met to help to look after his home in the Pantanal.

The Paraguayan Pantanal is an important savannah, grassland habitat which is under threat from agricultural development. As well as the Jaguar, the Pantanal is also home to other important wildlife, including the 'Three Giants' (Giant Otter, Giant Anteater and Giant Armadillo).

The Pride Campaign is a programme run by Guyra Paraguay's partners RARE who are planning future projects which include visiting schools and other local communities to continue in their bid to raise awareness of the threats to species and their habitat.

To learn more about the Pantanal and the World Land Trust's involvement in the area, and how you can help, visit our Paraguay project pages.

Labels: Paraguay

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Monday, 30 November 2009:

Deforestation in Paraguay: Over 1500 football pitches lost a day in the Chaco 

Paraguayan Chaco is being lost at an average rate of 1643 acres (665 ha) per day.

The extent of the deforestation in the Paraguayan Chaco is equivalent to over 1500 football pitches a day, according to World Land Trust (WLT) partners Guyra Paraguay. They have used satellite imagery to measure deforestation in this dry savannah habitat and results revealed that the deforestation rate has already exceeded the devastating 228,000 hectares of irreplaceable habitat that was lost last year.

Aerial photo showing deforestation in the Chaco. Photo © Guyra Paraguay. Click on the image to see a larger version.


The Chaco forest is being lost at an alarming rate, but some still remains such as this patch, which includes some of Paraguay's beautiful national tree, the Lapacho. Click on the image to see a larger version.


Dr José Luis Casaccia has been involved in confiscating bulldozers which have been illegally smuggled from Brazil in order to deforest the Chaco in Paraguay. Photo © José Luis Casaccia. Click on the image to see a larger version.

By the end of October this year, some 265,000 hectares have already been lost and Guyra Paraguay predicts that the 2009 figure will exceed 300,000 hectares by the end of the year. During a critical month of deforestation from April to May this year, the rate soared to 3190 acres (1291 ha) (which is over 1500 football pitches) lost every day.

The main reason for this drastic forest clearance is to make way for agricultural development, in particular for cattle grazing. Although the Chaco does have some large protected areas, these are becoming increasingly fragmented and turning into forest islands, serving as key refuges for the incredible wealth local wildlife. Unfortunately, because of lack of funds these areas are not always well managed and therefore are at risk of being degraded. For example, until recently there was just one park guard, with no vehicle, to protect over nearly 2million acres of Defensores del Chaco National Park.

What WLT and Guyra Paraguay are doing to help

The World Land Trust is raising funds for Guyra Paraguay to purchase and protect threatened habitat in three distinct areas of Paraguay; the Dry Chaco, the Chaco-Pantanal and the Atlantic Rainforest. In addition to this commitment WLT recognises that Paraguay already has some key protected areas, such as Defensores del Chaco National Park, that require just minimal funding to effectively protect them and all the wildlife they safeguarding.

Under the Tri-partite agreement with Guyra Paraguay and the Ministry of the Environment (SEAM), WLT are supporting management costs of three protected areas in the northern Chaco. This support has already been instrumental in the appointment of more Park Guards at Defensores del Chaco. Seven parkguards are now employed and a vehicle with fuel has also been supplied to help protect this vast area.

Raising awareness of the largely unknown issue of deforestation in the remote Paraguayan Chaco is critical in gaining national and international support. Last week WLT supported Dr Alberto Yanoksy (Executive Director of Guyra Paraguay) and Dr José Luis Casaccia (Environmental prosecutor for the Attorney General's office and ex-Minister of the Environment) in a trip to the UK. They gave presentations at the University of East Anglia, the Study for the Institute of the Americas and the House of Commons (details of which will be available on the WLT website shortly) and press interviews have led to publicity about the deforestation taking place.

Dr Yanoksy and Dr. Cassacia are urging the world community to acknowledge this huge environmental loss and assist them in saving this unique environment. Their final message was that if no action is taken then according to figures resulting from monitoring deforestation, the prediction is that in less than 20 years the area will be reduced to desert, with all the species having been lost, with the exception of the reserve areas already created.

How you can help:

To help protect Paraguay's wildlife, you can save an acre of Paraguayan wilderness for just £50. Make a donation now (opens in new window) to save these important wildlife habitats

More information

To read more on the critical issue of deforestation in the Paraguayn Chaco see the following recent articles:

• Clamping down on logging in Brazil moves it to Paraguay (The Ecologist)
• Paraguay's forests in crisis (Wildlife Extra)

Labels: Paraguay

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Saturday, 10 October 2009:

Fire outbreak in the Chaco Pantanal, Paraguay 

A recent fire in Paraguay gave serious cause for concern as it came perilously close to the Three Giants Biological Station.

The fire in the Chaco-Pantanal Reserve seen from Río Negro. Photo: © Guyra Paraguay


Three Giants Biological Research Station dangerously close to the fire. Photo: © Enrique Bragayrag


Three Giants Station after the fire. Photo: © Guyra Paraguay

Situated by the river (Río Negro) in the north-east of Paraguay, the Three Giants Biological Station was funded by World Land Trust (WLT) and is located on the Chaco-Pantanal Reserve, owned and managed by WLT Project Partner Guyra Paraguay.

It is believed that the fire was started by poachers who often use this method to flush out wildlife.

The fire spread rapidly and became out of control, probably as a result of strong wind and the recent dry weather in the area. Fortunately it was brought under control and extinguished before it reached the Three Giants Biological Research Station thanks to the efforts of the Airforce, Naval forces, and the Ministry of the Environment.

The amount of damage has not yet been fully estimated but Guyra Paraguay are currently working in the worst affected areas on urgent damage limitation and measures to help the habitat recover as quickly as possible.

Despite the fact that the Chaco Pantanal ecosystem is adapted to fire, according to Guyra Paraguay this fire was particularly destructive and investigations are being undertaken to establish what possible impacts it may have had on the fauna and flora in the reserve.

Learn more about the Chaco-Pantanal Reserve »

Labels: Paraguay

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Tuesday, 3 March 2009:

Paraguay's President Fernando Lugo visits the Reserve in the Pantanal 

On 7 February, the President of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, visited the Pantanal in north-east Paraguay, and specifically Guyra Paraguay's Chaco-Pantanal Reserve, which was saved largely as a result of donations from World Land Trust (WLT) supporters. While in the reserve he stopped off for a few hours at the Giants Biological Field Station (again, funded by a supporter of WLT) which sits on the bank of the Río Negro (Black River).

Fernando Lugo (centre) in the Pantanal on his way to the Three Giants Biological Station. His group is led by Alberto Yanosky and Oscar Rhodes from Guyra Paraguay.


The Three Giants Biological Station, situated on Guyra Paraguay's Chaco-Pantanal Reserve. (Click the image to see a larger version.)


The Pantanal is a haven for wildlife, and particularly birds that come to feed on the quantities of fish in the Río Negro. (Click the image to see a larger version.)

Despite rainy weather, the President was able to see firsthand, the lush green vegetation on the banks of the river which is a mecca for wildlife, and also observe many of the bird species which flock to this secluded wildlife paradise. Birds of the region include an abundance of Wood Storks, White Storks and Anhingas, as well as Rufescent Tiger-Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons and other herons.

Guyra Paraguay's team, led by its Director, Alberto Yanosky, and Co-ordinator, Oscar Rhodes, had an opportunity to talk with the President about Guyra Paraguay's achievements over the past ten years, in its bid to save this important area of high biodiversity in perpetuity for conservation.

The President stressed the importance of the work Guyra Paraguay was doing and expressed a wish to return to spend more time in the region. After his visit he said that this was an area of great environmental importance which deserves to be recognized more widely.

Travel Republic, corporate supporters of WLT, have been raising funds for land purchase in Paraguay since June 2006, by making donations on behalf of every client booking a flight. By the end of 2008 a grand total of £75,842 had been raised which was transferred to Guyra Paraguay for the purchase of 'Property 9' in the Chaco-Pantanal Reserve. Travel Republic have confirmed their commitment for 2009 and requested that, as previously, the funds will be used for land purchase and protection in the Pantanal, working through Guyra Paraguay. WLT and Guyra Paraguay thank Travel Republic for this wonderful support for conservation.

Learn more about the Chaco/Pantanal Project in Paraguay

Labels: Paraguay

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Tuesday, 10 February 2009:

Paraguay's National Parks guarded thanks to World Land Trust supporters 

Funds provided by the World Land Trust (WLT) are being used to employ guards to protect some of the largest National parks in Paraguay under the shared management of the National Parks in the Northern Chaco of Paraguay. The five new rangers employed by Guyra Paraguay, WLT's partners in Paraguay will be based in Defensores del Chaco, the largest national park in the country with more than 700,000 hectares. One of the needs apart from giving concrete protection to the park, is the updating of the management plan of Defensores National Park, which will be done during the next months in close cooperation with local people. According to Guyra Paraguay, The Minister of the Environment, José Luis Casaccia is pleased to now have six rangers protecting the largest National Park and hopes the WLT and other international organisations will play a key role in the management of Paraguay's protected areas.

In addition to activities at Defensores National Park, the development of the Río Negro National Park management plan is about to begin. This aims to establish a biological vision for how to unite these two parks with a third, Chovoreca, in which live the native indigenous groups the Ayoreos and the Chamacoco, whose traditionally used areas need to be secured and protected.

Labels: Paraguay

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Thursday, 18 December 2008:

Working with the Indigenous people of Paraguay 

The lands that the World Land Trust (WLT) is helping Guyra Paraguay conserve in the northern Chaco are also the ancestral homes of several groups of indigenous peoples. The World Land Trust takes the issue of traditional rights very seriously, and for this reason was able to get a grant to support the work of Iniciativa Amotocodie (IA), who work with the Ayoreo Indians in the Northern Chaco. The Ayoreo include groups that are still isolated and remain uncontacted by the outside world. IA's objective is to help them maintain their voluntary isolation, until such time as they choose to meet with the rest of the world, and then help that transition be as un-traumatic as possible. As part of the process Benno Glauser, who heads IA visited the WLT in November to conduct workshops with the WLT staff on the issues surrounding traditional rights and how to integrate local people into conservation.

The approach of involving the indigenous groups in the conservation process right from the outset is believed to be a first, and Guyra, SEAM (the government agency involved) together with the WLT hope to be able to create a model for future conservation work, and prevent the criticisms of green colonialism that have been made in the past.

Learn more about the Chaco/Pantanal Project in Paraguay

Labels: Paraguay

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Helping the Three Giants and spreading the word in the Pantanal of Paraguay 

Top: A few members of the Pantanal EcoClub, on the banks of the Río Negro. They are joined by Tracie Long, a former WLT/UEA Diploma student, back left. Above: The radio station (See a larger image of the radio station.)

In the Pantanal, Guyra Paraguay (partners of the World Land Trust) have been able to build on the work of the EcoClub Pantanal Paraguay, a group formed by young people from the community of Bahía Negra. With Guyra's help the EcoClub were successful in its grant application to the World Bank and were awarded $10,000 to set up the area's first radio station, staffed and run entirely by local conservationists, and broadcasting in Guaraní. "When we first got here, there was no government presence, and no communications, except radio stations broadcasting from Brazil", explains Alberto Yanosky, Executive Director of Guyra. "There was no access to the Pantanal: we brought the first boat to the area. Now we're helping provide economic opportunities through sustainable tourism that will enable young people to stay in the are to earn a living - before, they had to leave to find work."

When WLT Trustee Rohini Finch, visited the Pantanal, in July 2006, she was so impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of the young people running the EcoClub, that she promised to match any funds they raised before her next visit. Unfortunately Rohini was unable to join the group from WLT that went out to Paraguay for the official opening of The Three Giants Biological Station in March 2008, but she was represented by her husband, Bob Finch and daughter, Jo Finch. The EcoClub were proud of the US$420 they had raised which is a wonderful amount considering this is a tiny community with very little outside communications. Jo was pleased to be able to hand over Rohini's pledged matched funding.

In the words of Saúl Arias, Secretary and Treasurer of the Pantanal Eco Club, "I participated in the radio broadcasts which made it possible for me to become an operator on the Bahía Negra Poty radio. Every day I wake up very early to help my mother before going to school since I belong to a large family of 8 brothers and sisters. Since I was nine I have been going to the Club, first accompanied by my sister Liz since she was not allowed to go alone to the meetings and environmental camps that the people from Guyra Paraguya organized, and then on my own. It was very revolutionary for our parents, especially because we were "mobilizing and organizing ourselves". Since belonging to the club I can confirm that we have done a lot for our community and spread environmental awareness but we still need work to become leaders of the region. The president of our group is a woman whom I admire for all the achievements in what is, sometimes, a chauvinistic community. Nilsa Frutos is also from Bahía Negra and we meet with her once a week to plan our social and environmental activities, although, of course, we see each other every day on our radio programs. The radio really helps us spread the message across our community at Bahía Negra."

The people of Bahía Negra are all familiar with the Three Giants: Giant Anteater, Giant Otter and Giant Armadillo, and they are now familiar with the Three Giants Biological Station which is upstream from their small town community on the banks of the Río Negro.

Learn more about the Chaco/Pantanal Project in Paraguay

Labels: Paraguay

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Thursday, 4 December 2008:

Carbon offsetting and tree planting restores over 460 ha of degraded habitat 

Javier Robaio tending to tree saplings in a nursery (top) at Buenaventura Reserve, Ecuador. (See a larger image of the forest at Buenaventura.) Photos by Renton Righelato

2008 has been another successful year for the World Land Trust's carbon offsetting and tree-planting initiatives. Under WLT's tree planting agreement with Scottish and Southern Energy our project partners in Ecuador, Brazil and Paraguay have planted an impressive 410,500 trees, that's over 1,100 trees a day! The planting has restored some 410 hectares of degraded habitat which extends and buffers existing reserves and helps to further protect endangered species such as the Great Green Macaw and El Oro Parakeet.

Carbon offset funds raised through the Carbon Balanced programme have enabled the purchase, protection and restoration of 58 hectares of threatened land in Ecuador and Mexico. Our Mexican project partner, Grupo Ecologica Sierra Gorda, has developed an incentive scheme to deliver their offsets, paying small-scale landowners to plant up cleared land. This not only provides benefits for climate change, biodiversity and watershed protection but also a valuable income source for an impoverished Mexican community.

We should all be doing what we can to reduce the emissions that we are responsible for. To this end the Carbon Balanced website has a page with links to useful energy reduction advice and greener living sites. When you have done what you can to reduce your carbon emissions, please support WLT's vital habitat restoration work: Calculate and offset your unavoidable emissions with Carbon Balanced.

Labels: Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay

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Update on the the Northern Chaco national park management (Paraguay) 

Report from John Burton, CEO of the World Land Trust (WLT), on his recent visit to Paraguay.

"In November I made a follow up visit to Paraguay. The purpose of the visit was to meet with the New Minister of Environment and discuss the way forward with the management of the three national parks in the Chaco. For the first time in over 60 years, there was a complete change of government, on the positive side, this is a clear demonstration of a new fully democratic era, but the downside is that the dramatic changes will take some time to stabilize, and conservation issues are not the top priority for most of the government, and the people of Paraguay are anxious for major reforms."

"The new Minister of Environment, Sr Jose Luis Cassaccia, fully endorsed the agreement between SEAM (the Ministry of Environment), Guyra Paraguay [WLT's project partners in Paraguay /ed.] and the World Land Trust signed earlier in the year, and the Ministry was happy to adopt the draft Management Plan drawn up by Guyra. However, there are serious problems confronting the Chaco, with deforestation occurring in many areas, and problems over financing the protection of the National Parks. When I visited the Chaco in the summer I was able to see the infrastructure funded by the EU and other agencies - including excellent quality buildings for guards. Unfortunately funding for paying the guards ran out in September, and there is a serious crisis for the management of the park, which can only be solved with outside help. Then World Land Trust is currently considering how we can best support this difficult period, but to keep the national parks with a minimum level of staff, around $150,000 is needed for the next 12 months."

Learn more about the World Land Trust supported projects in Paraguay

Labels: Paraguay

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Monday, 27 October 2008:

WLT's first partner exchange brings Paraguay closer 

Silvia Centrón (here pictured in the Atlantic Forest with an Olivaceous Woodcreeper), is Bioinformatics Officer at Guyra Paraguay and is currently working in the WLT office in Suffolk, helping the Trust organise its image database, as well as assisting with translations and co-ordination of the new conservation programmes in Paraguay.

Silvia is spending two and a half months with the Trust in what is hoped will be the first of many exchanges with WLT's partner organisations. Says John Burton, WLT's CEO: "So often international organisations try to impose management systems on local NGOs. In contrast, the Trust's policy has always been to encourage local expertise, and with exchanges such as this, the WLT are able to benefit from the skills of our partners in ways which will ultimately result in more funds being raised."

Learn more about Silvia in a recent piece by Simon Barnes in the Times:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/simon_barnes/article4922479.ece

Labels: Paraguay

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Wednesday, 30 April 2008:

Paraguayan government to conserve over 2.5-million acres thanks to WLT donors 

Alberto Yanosky, Exec. Director of Guyra Paraguay (left) and Carlos Antonio Lopez-Doze, Paraguay's Minister of the Environment sign the agreement in the UNDP Meeting Room, Asuncion, on 11 March 2008.


John Burton, WLT CEO (and Alberto Yanosky) speaking at the meeting when the Minister of the Environment announced the co-management agreement.


Aerial photo of the Dry Chaco, showing extensive soil erosion (light brown patches) where the vegetation has been degraded. See a larger image here.

WLT is currently funding the purchase of three very different habitats in Paraguay: Dry Chaco (Campo Iris), the Chaco-Pantanal Reserve and Atlantic Forest (San Rafael). Each is unique and all are threatened, primarily by the spread of agriculture, and in particular the growing market for biofuels and soya.

Even the Dry Chaco, a seemingly impenetrable habitat, isn't safe as a new dry-adapted variety of soy has been developed and trials are already taking place in the Chaco. But there is good news...

In March the Government of Paraguay signed an innovative co-management agreement which will conserve over 2.5-million acres of threatened habitat in Paraguay. This initial agreement is with the WLT's partners, Guyra Paraguay and in making the announcement, the Minister of the Environment, Carlos Antonio Lopez-Doze, supported by the Minister of Tourism, Liz Cramer, stated that the support of the World Land Trust and its donors in recognising the international importance of Paraguay's biodiversity, was a key factor in this momentous decision.

Over the next few months a formal tri-party Agreement between the Ministry of the Environment, Guyra Paraguay and the World Land Trust will be drawn up and signed, giving Guyra Paraguay the responsibility for the management of three national parks within the Northern Chaco Biosphere Reserve, as well as the Atlantic Rainforest of San Rafael, on behalf of the people of Paraguay.

The role of the WLT will be to co-ordinate international fundraising to support the conservation of the region, as well as providing technical assistance on carbon sequestration and 'avoided deforestation' projects which is all part of the overall vision for the Reserve.

Message from Sir David Attenborough congratulating the Government of Paraguay on its decision to protect the Dry Chaco:

"This is one of the last great wilderness areas left in the world, and it is hugely encouraging that much of it is still as it was when I was there half a century ago. The Government of Paraguay is to be congratulated on recognising the international importance of its wild heritage. Not only is it vital to save the incredible biodiversity of the region but part of the land is also home to people who still live in the forests largely unaffected by the outside world. I think it is wonderful that the World Land Trust has been able to play such an important role in saving it for future generations and I hope the rest of the world will respond generously and support WLT as it raises funds for the long term protection of this vast wildlife paradise."
Sir David Attenborough, Patron, World Land Trust

Learn more about the World Land Trust's Chaco/Pantanal Project in Paraguay

Labels: Paraguay

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Friday, 29 February 2008:

Jaguar captured in broad day light (Paraguay) 

A jaguar "posing" on the side of Río Negro, close to the Three Giants Lodge. © Veronique Gerard. See a larger version here.

This jaguar was captured by a camera set up to photograph deer at the Chaco-Pantanal Reserve. (That's its over-exposed head and ear to the right!) See a larger version here.

Three Giants visitor lodge. See a larger version here.

An aerial view of the reserve in the Pantanal, with Three Giants Lodge just visible on the side of the river as a small square. The lodge is surrounded by Copernicia palm savannah, which provides excellent jaguar habitat. See a larger version here.


WLT's diploma students: Martyn Griffiths, Tracie Long and Natalie Evans, at a music event they organised to raise funds for their Paraguay projects.

This jaguar snapped on the left was sent to us by Pepe Cartes of Guyra Paraguay, and was taken in the Chaco-Pantanal Reserve by Veronique Gerard.

Everyone at the World Land Trust was excited and not a little envious when seeing the photo - particularly the WLT's CEO, John Burton, who, despite travelling extensively in South America has yet to see a jaguar in the wild! But that may be about to change as John is travelling to the Pantanal next week.

Jaguars in the Pantanal

The Pantanal is located in the north-east of the Paraguay and borders Brazil and Bolivia. It provides a semi-open habitat, with vast wetlands and palm-savannahs offering plenty of prey for the jaguars - and therefore some opportunities for intrepid travellers to spot them.

While it is generally extremely difficult to glimpse a jaguar in the wild, in the Pantanal it is slightly more likely, and a group from the WLT consisting of three staff members and five supporters are travelling there in early March with united hope that they may be lucky. Jaguars have been seen outside the Three Giants Lodge where they will be staying for a few nights so we can't wait to hear from them.

Tony Hawks and WLT students to travel to Paraguay 

A member of the WLT group travelling to Paraguay next week is writer and comedian Tony Hawks. Tony will be writing about his experiences and will be giving a talk to WLT supporters later in the year.

A couple of weeks later, the Trust's three diploma students are also heading out to Paraguay, where they will undertake projects aimed at helping Guyra Paraguay in their conservation efforts. This is what they will be doing:

Tracie Long: "I will be staying at The Three Giants Lodge where, due to its location, the surrounding habitat has remained relatively unexplored. My project will involve using simple light traps to investigate the species of hawk and emperor moths present." The study, which will provide Guyra with basic data on which hawk and emperor moths are present, will result in a field guide to be used at the lodge by future visitors.

Martyn Griffiths will be in the small and very isolated community Bahía Negra for his project work. Together with the few other communities in the area, which include both campesino (landless peasants) and indigenous populations, Bahía Negra lies within a couple of hours' boat trip from the Three Giants Lodge.

Martin, who will conduct interviews to assess attitudes towards conservation and hunting, says: "It's clear local communities need to be involved within conservation projects, and the sharing of any benefits, to ensure success."

Natalie Evans' project is taking place in the south east of Paraguay, where fragments of Atlantic Forest remain among deserts of agricultural land, including soya plantations.

"I will be looking into responsible methods of soybean production in the region and in particular at Guyra Paraguay's pilot soybean project in the Atlantic rainforest in Paraguay to assess its potential for success", says Natalie, whose project will involve interviews with representatives of all stakeholders in the soy production industry including indigenous people, campesinos, small farmers, NGOs, local government and trans-national companies.

Learn more about the Chaco/Pantanal Project in Paraguay

Labels: Paraguay

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New land purchases in Ecuador and Paraguay 

New land has been bought in Ecuador adjacent to Yanacocha (top), and in Paraguay in San Rafael (middle) and in the Dry Chaco (bottom). (Click on the images to see larger versions.)

88 hectares in Ecuador:

World Land Trust project partners in Ecuador, Fundación Jocotoco, have recently purchased a strategic piece of land to expand their reserve at Yanacocha. This 88 hectare area is situated in high altitude Polylepis forest, a habitat type which is seriously depleted throughout the Andes.

The purchase was vital as the land was likely to be developed if it had not been secured by Jocotoco.

The land is targeted for tree planting to restore the forest that has been lost and will guarantee employment for Jocotoco staff for an additional two years.

600 hectares in San Rafael, Paraguay:

In Paraguay, WLT partner organisation Guyra Paraguay have managed to add more land to two of their reserves; San Rafael and the Dry Chaco.

The purchase of 600 hectares adjacent to Guyra's core reserve area in San Rafael National Park means that they now manage and protect 6,600 hectares of endangered Atlantic Rainforest in the south-east of Paraguay.

The demonstrable support from WLT donors has enabled matched funding from two US foundations: WLT-US and American Bird Conservancy. With continued commitment from WLT Guyra aims to secure more habitat as well as continuing to carry out forest restoration and research.

3,500 hectares in the Chaco, Paraguay:

Guyra recently secured 3,500 hectares of threatened arid habitat in the northwest of Paraguay - their first purchase in this region. The next phase of Guyra's project in the Dry Chaco is the purchase of 3,000 hectares with the overall aim to eventually secure 13,000 hectares in total.

The Dry Chaco is an extremely vulnerable ecosystem and is disappearing at an alarming rate. As well as being overwhelmed by agricultural expansion the Dry Chaco is particularly vulnerable to disturbance.

John Burton, WLT CEO, visited the Dry Chaco recently and he says "it was astounding how the tracks of tanks used in the Chaco War in the 1930s were still visible - the habitat is so fragile it can take a century or more to regenerate."

Please help us save this unique habitat:
Make a donation to the Chaco/Pantanal Project.

Learn more about WLT's projects in Ecuador and Paraguay:

• Help Save the Rainforests: Tropical Forest Project, Ecuador
• Saving the Paraguayan Landscapes: Chaco/Pantanal Project, Paraguay

Edit 3rd March: The recent purchase in the Dry Chaco was for 3,500 ha, not 350 ha as previously stated, and the next purchase is for 3,000 ha, not 300 ha.

Labels: Ecuador, Paraguay

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Friday, 14 December 2007:

Please support Guyra Paraguay's community work in the Pantanal (Paraguay) 

Top: The Eco club on a visit to the Three Giants lodge, together with Guyra staff. Above: The radio station at Bahía Negra.

WLT's Web Information Manager, Helena Åkerlund, recently visited the reserves in Paraguay and came back with lots of praise for the work of Guyra Paraguay - as well as an appeal. "Guyra is seeking funding to help the local radio station in the Pantanal settlement of Bahía Negra and to build a small, simple lodge for staff to stay in whilst working in Bahía Negra and at the Chaco-Pantanal Reserve", Helena explains.

Radio Bahía Negra was started with a grant obtained by the local Eco Club - a group of enthusiastic teenagers who, with the help of Guyra Paraguay, are learning about conservation and reserve management. The radio station provides a vital service to the very isolated community at Bahía Negra, but is housed in a simple building without a proper floor, making the high-tech equipment vulnerable to rain water seeping in. A simple concrete floor would cost less than $100 and would make all the difference.

Guyra staff working at the reserve currently have to pay other organisations or individuals for overnight accommodation when they visit the area. "A small lodge, providing rustic accommodation, would make their lives a lot easier, and their visits more cost-effective", says Helena. The plan is to build the accommodation in the grounds of the radio station, where it is ideally located for Guyra Paraguay's work with the local community.

This type of funding falls outside WLT's land purchase remit, but we know our supporters are keen to get involved in the projects - and this gives you an opportunity to contribute directly to a local initiative in an extremely isolated part of Paraguay. To make a donation towards Guyra's community work in the Pantanal, please donate to the Chaco/Pantanal Project, Paraguay as normal, but indicate that you would like the money to go to Bahia Negra (in the "extra requirements" or "comments" box if donating online, or by mentioning it to WLT staff if donating by phone.)

Labels: Paraguay

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Thursday, 13 December 2007:

WLT's Paraguayan partners celebrate their 10th Anniversary (Paraguay) 

On Wednesday, 21 November, Guyra Paraguay was Ten Years Old. During the year they have held various events to celebrate their ten years of conservation achievement and this photograph shows the three directors of Guyra Paraguay over the years. On the left is Alberto Madroño, in the centre Alberto Yanosky (current Director) and on the right Francis Fragano.

About the photo Alberto Yanosky commented that everyone knows that the the new Lodge on the Pantanal reserve, funded by WLT supporters, is called The Three Giants because of the three endangered 'giants' found in the reserve area: Giant Otter, Giant Anteater and Giant Armadillo, but at the party the three Directors were also given the name The Three Giants!

Guyra Paraguay is a wonderful partner organisation and everyone at WLT sends their very best wishes for the next Ten Years.

Labels: Paraguay

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Wednesday, 24 October 2007:

New and updated projects pages for Chaco/Pantanal Project (Paraguay) 

The World Land Trust website has just been updated with exiting new information on our work with Guyra Paraguay in three different areas of Paraguay:

• Chaco-Pantantal Reserve (grassland and wetland habitat)
• San Rafael Reserve (Atlantic Forest habitat)
• NEW reserve in the dry Chaco (dry grassland habitat)

Labels: Paraguay

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Thursday, 26 July 2007:

Otter spotting in the Pantanal (Paraguay) 

Two curious otters. (Click on the photo to see a larger image.)

Alberto Yanosky, of GUYRA Paraguay, World Land Trust partner organisation in Paraguay, sent this fantastic photo with the following comment:

"This is a photo of the giant otter family living in front of the biological station in our reserves in the pantanal. They are really close and visit the site very curiously every day at 7 am!"

The Giant Otter is one of three endangered 'giants' found in the reserve area. The other two are the Giant Anteater and Giant Armadillo and a lodge currently being constructed in the reserve has been given the name Three Giants Lodge.

Labels: Paraguay

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The Three Giants Lodge becomes a reality (Paraguay) 

The lodge building work in progress...

...and the builders, taking a well deserved break.

Funded largely by WLT Council Member, Kevin Cox, the Three Giants Lodge, in Guyra Paraguay's Pantanal reserve, is now becoming a reality. WLT Partners, Guyra Paraguay, have overseen the construction of the lodge itself. The Three Giants Lodge is so named because of the three endangered 'giants' found in the reserve area: Giant Otter, Giant Anteater and Giant Armadillo.

Guyra staff member, Pepe Cartes, wrote to us recently saying that the workers building the lodge had, several times, come face to face with a Jaguar who appeared to be curious about what was going on. They have decided that basic security rules need to be established at the Lodge! He also said that Giant Otters were seen most days and that the workers had developed special calls to attract them; they too are interested in the activity and seem to enjoy the workers' presence. John Burton, WLT CEO, who has yet to see a Jaguar in the wild, is hoping that he might come 'face-to-face' with a Jaguar on his visit to the Three Giants Lodge later this year.

Labels: Paraguay

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