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  The paraguayan Chaco is at the centre (see map) of a very large ecosystem, known as the Gran Chaco. It extends from northern Argentina to southern Bolivia and is home to a rich and unique diversity of plants and animals.

  Since the 1920's, the Chaco has become the home of settlers of European ancestry. In their early years, the communities expanded only gradually. However, that changed in the late 1970's.

 Land speculators began to attract big investors from abroad. The long-term effects of this effort are now becoming very evident in agressive large-scale deforestation . (see the Slide Show below)

 The aboriginal people have become more and more marginalized by this process, in spite of many efforts by settler-communities and numerous NGOs to minimize the impact.

 As illustrated by the map (see left), there is some awareness - both, by grass-roots and some governmental officials - to conserve significant segments of the Chaco. To-date three of the areas have been declared national parks (A, B, and C). The remaining 26 areas are potential sites for parks. However, the national government lacks the funds and the necessary political will to actually acquire the properties. Most of these sites are in private hands. They have to be bought or expropriated.

 The harsh reality remains that big investors buy up many of these sites before the government's good intensions can be implemented. The race is on to develop (i.e. clear cut /deforest) or to conserve some of nature's finest sites. Local, grass-roots initiatives urgently need the generous support of the international community.

 Click: Clear Cutting: increasing by 15% to 30% annually  to start the Slide Show