At the time of writing in September 2024, Asunción was covered in an orange haze from smoke emanating from fires in the north of the Chaco and the Amazon.
A number of factors drive the high levels of deforestation Global Witness saw in Paraguay.
Paraguay’s politicians firmly support the cattle industry. The current president Santiago Peña said earlier this year: “I have no doubt that Paraguay has enormous potential and that potential comes from the production capacity that exists in the countryside. Agriculture and cattle ranching, are the fundamental sectors and pillars that we have.”
Forest laws passed by the government in 1973 require landowners to maintain 25 per cent of the natural forest on their land as a “forest reserve” in most areas of the Chaco.
Pedro*, who works for an environmental organisation in Paraguay, told us that these laws – which in effect leave up to “75%” of some areas unprotected – are the key reason for Paraguay’s high deforestation rate.
He also said that the law was “antiquated” and no longer fit for purpose. Pedro said that the law had been introduced when the Chaco was still a vast forest, and now put birdlife and rare species – such as the jaguar – at risk.
Across the Chaco, numerous people Global Witness spoke to openly discussed deforestation on their farms.
At no stage did anyone involved in the cattle industry that Global Witness spoke to refer to the environmental effects of deforestation, or its effects on the country’s Indigenous peoples or biodiversity.
Sources referred to the process of clearing this richly biodiverse land for agriculture as “limpieza” or “cleaning”.
On two occasions, Global Witness met consultants within the farms who were there to carry out further deforestation on behalf of the owners.
Cheap land was cited during an interview as a reason that cattle ranchers from across the continent set up business in the country. These ranchers then obtain permission from the Ministry of Sustainable Development (MADES) to clear the forest for pasture.
One farm manager in the Chaco told Global Witness that compared to Brazil, land in Paraguay was cheap, taxes were low and there were fewer NGOs scrutinising the cattle industry.
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Publish date : 2024-10-07 12:41:00
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