The Gran Chaco: Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future
The Gran Chaco is one of the world’s largest dry forest ecosystems. Spanning Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay, it is a critical carbon sink, biodiversity hotspot, driver of economic opportunity and home to 5.6 million Indigenous people. In the past two decades, it has lost 13 million hectares of forest, mostly to agricultural expansion. But this report tells a story of potential. It shows how sustainable production and forest protection need not be at odds. Instead, they can reinforce each other – if the incentives and governance are right.
The Gran Chaco is one of the world’s largest dry forest ecosystems. Spanning Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay, it is a critical carbon sink, biodiversity hotspot, driver of economic opportunity and home to 5.6 million Indigenous people. In the past two decades, it has lost 13 million hectares of forest, mostly to agricultural expansion. But this report tells a story of potential. It shows how sustainable production and forest protection need not be at odds. Instead, they can reinforce each other – if the incentives and governance are right.
The solutions exist: regenerative agriculture, sustainable cattle ranching, jurisdictional approaches to land-use planning and management, and nature-based finance models. What is needed now is scale, investment and alignment across sectors. Governments, financial institutions, corporate supply chains and local communities all have a role to play.
The future of the Gran Chaco is not yet written. With the right investments, policies and partnerships, it can become a global model to demonstrate that economic growth, environmental protection and social development can go hand in hand.