Help Fortify South America’s Largest Dry Tropical Forest
Support More Work Like ThisSupport More Work Like ThisIndustrial agriculture and cattle ranching are destroying the forests of the Gran Chaco and encroaching on Indigenous lands.
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Species at Risk
Chacoan Peccary (EN), Lowland Tapir (VU)
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Carbon stored
140,346,204 mT *
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Fundación Natura Bolivia
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1,389,946 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
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Project Cost: $1,297,619
1,389,946
Industrial agriculture and cattle ranching are destroying the forests of the Gran Chaco and encroaching on Indigenous lands.
-
Species at Risk
Chacoan Peccary (EN), Lowland Tapir (VU)
-
Carbon stored
140,346,204 mT *
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Fundación Natura Bolivia
-
1,389,946 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
-
Project Cost: £2,634,191
1,389,946
The lower forests of the Gran Chaco are home to more than
mammal species
The Gran Chaco is the world’s largest “dry” tropical forest, a unique biome of forests, grasses, and wetlands that experiences a long dry season each year. The connected ecosystems here support thousands of species, and the region’s carbon and water cycles help to regulate the global climate.
The Charagua lyambae Indigenous nation has lived within Bolivia’s Gran Chaco for generations, with cultures and ways of life that are inextricably tied to their environment.
Photo credit: Lowland Tapir, by PhotocechCZ
Explore the Biodiversity of the Gran Chaco
The Yande Yari project area in the dry season, courtesy of Natura Bolivia
The Chacoan Peccary, by Lubos Chlubny
Group of Chacoan Peccary, by Maloff
Baby Lowland Tapir, by Nick Fox
Lowland Tapir, by Diego Grandi
The Yande Yari project area in the dry season, courtesy of Natura Bolivia
The Yande Yari project area in the dry season, courtesy of Natura Bolivia
The Yande Yari project area in the dry season, courtesy of Natura Bolivia
The Yande Yari project area in the dry season, courtesy of Natura Bolivia
The Yande Yari project area, courtesy of Natura Bolivia
Support Indigenous Peoples as they resist deforestation
The Gran Chaco has long been a target for industrial agriculture and, as a result, 85% of the original forest cover has been lost. Indigenous Peoples have held the line against deforestation in the Gran Chaco for decades, protecting the lands, waters, and species that share their home. But as soy producers and cattle ranchers continue to flood in, time is running out.
Rainforest Trust seeks $1,635,000 to support our partner, Fundación Natura Bolivia, in their work with the Charagua lyambae sovereign Indigenous nation to create the Yande Yari Indigenous Protected Area of 1,389,946 acres. The Charagua Iyambae sovereign Indigenous nation has pioneered a sustainable model of self-governing and community-led conservation through complete ownership and management rights over their ancestral lands. But the threats of incursion and extraction persist in this important wildlife corridor.
Protect critical wetlands and abundant wildlife
Key biodiversity areas in the Gran Chaco provide habitats for the Endangered Chacoan Peccary. Hunting and habitat loss have dropped numbers of these endemic mammals below 3,000. The endemic Chacoan Guanaco is also on the brink of extinction. Fewer than 200 llamas of this subspecies remain in Bolivia, and their numbers are even lower in Paraguay.
This project fortifies the last intact forest corridor in the southern tropical Andes. It connects to the 8.5-million-acre Kaa-iya del Gran Chaco National Park and to other Indigenous protected areas, together safeguarding more than 13 million acres, combined. The Yande Yari Indigenous Protected Area also connects to the Bañados de Izozog: globally important wetlands that provide an essential water source for the region.
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Conservation work is critical, challenging, and can be costly. We work hard to ensure we raise only the funds needed for each project. In the rare case we raise more money than needed or a project comes in under budget, excess monies will be transferred to the Conservation Action Fund. This fund supports our important conservation work throughout the tropics.
Project Modifications
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