Project Partner Organisation: GUYRA PARAGUAY www.guyra.org.py Contact Guyra

Chaco/Pantanal Project, Paraguay:

San Rafael Reserve

The World Land Trust-US are working with Guyra Payaguay to protect some of the most important Atlantic Forest, natural grasslands and wetlands in Paraguay and South America.

Protecting the Paraná Atlantic Forest

San Rafael National Park is a legally designated protected area located in the south-east of Paraguay and set up to protect the largest remaining area of Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest found in Paraguay. The Atlantic Forest is found on the Eastern side of South America, bordering the Atlantic ocean in Brazil to the interior of the continent in Paraguay and is a 'biodiversity hotspot' because of the high number of endemic species found there and because of the massive habitat loss and destruction it has encountered - only 7% of the Atlantic Forest remains in fragmented patches throughout Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

Butterflies at the San Rafael National Park, Paraguay

San Rafael Reserve

Though San Rafael is a designated National Park, much of the land inside the park boundaries remains under private ownership, is unmanaged and under threat of forest clearance to make way for agricultural production, logging, and unsustainable hunting for subsistence and trade.

Guyra Paraguay and four other Paraguayan organizations created the San Rafael Conservation Alliance to halt the deforestation. In 2000, they created the first conservation easement in South America and have since established five - protecting a total of 4,748 hectares.

In September 2002, with support from World Parks (now World Land Trust-US), Guyra made the first purchase of conservation lands at San Rafael—a large 2,000-hectare tract that will be set aside for strict protection. Now in 2008 GUYRA own and manage 6,600 ha (1482 acres) of land within the San Rafael NP, of which WLT, along side WLT-US and the American Bird Conservancy has helped purchase 600 ha.

Guyra has negotiated favorable terms for added land purchases, and can purchase more properties if it can raise the necessary funds for beautiful forested lands and natural savannahs. Eventually, Guyra Paraguay and partner organisations hope to purchase and protect 15,000 hectares as a core private reserve and place conservation easements or other protective devices on another 25,000 hectares.

Biodiversity

The Interior Atlantic Forest is also incredibly biodiverse - within San Rafael, more than 310 bird species have been recorded, including the Harpy Eagle, Blue-Winged Macaw and the Bare-Throated Bell-Bird. Mammal species in the region include the Giant Armadillo, Bushdog, Lowland Tapir, Tamandua, Maned Wolf, Dwarf Red-Brocket Deer, and Oncilla. The Reserve area has been designated an Important Birdlife Area (IBA) by Birdlife International.

More information

To learn more about the Chaco/Pantanal project in Paraguay and how you can support it, visit the main project page: Saving the Paraguayan Landscapes »

Read about writer and WLT Council member Simon Barnes visit to San Rafael in Broken rainforest crying to be healed on Times Online.