Paraguay’s Corazón Verde - Protecting the Beating Green Heart of South America

Spread across 1.1 million square kilometers in the heart of South America, the Gran Chaco cuts a swath through Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil.
While ecological efforts in the neighboring Amazon receive more global attention, the Gran Chaco is no less important. More than twice the size of California, it is South America’s second-largest forest. The Gran Chaco is among the most ecologically diverse areas on the planet, home to over 3,400 species of plants, 500 varieties of birds, 200 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 150 species of mammals. The vegetation in this region sustains a diverse landscape of mixed savannahs, tropical rainforests, shrubby woodlands, and seasonally flooded areas.
Jaguars, ocelots, pumas, lowland tapirs, capybaras, giant armadillos, anteaters, monkeys, toucans, and bats all roam the vast areas of this hot and semi-arid forest. In May 2021, giant river otters-once believed extinct-were once again seen romping in the Ibera wetlands of Argentina for the first time in 40 years.
In addition to its majestic biodiversity, the Gran Chaco is also one of the greatest carbon reservoirs in the world. Its trees hold tens of millions of tons of carbon dioxide, with each square kilometer storing roughly 13,000 tonnes of CO2.
All that natural beauty, along with the critical climate protection these forests offer, is at risk-endangering not only the region’s flora and fauna, but the health of the entire planet.