Gran Chaco

The Gran Chaco (also called Chaco or Chaco Plain), is a vast semiarid lowland region in central South America, spanning over one million square kilometers across eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and parts of Brazil. It forms part of the Río de la Plata basin.

Gran Chaco features a mix of tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, thorn scrub, savannas, wetlands, and palm groves, making it the continent’s second-largest forested ecoregion and a region of high ecological diversity.

The Gran Chaco is home to more than 3,400 plant species, around 500 bird species, 150 mammals, and more than 200 reptiles and amphibians, including jaguars, giant armadillos, peccaries, and maned wolves. Its forests and soils also store carbon and regulate water cycles, playing a significant role in climate moderation.

The region has been sparsely inhabited for centuries by Indigenous peoples, including the Wichí, Qom, Pilagá, Guaraní, and Ayoreo, among others. Today, it supports approximately 4 million people, many of whom maintain traditional livelihoods closely tied to the land.

In recent decades, the Gran Chaco has experienced extensive environmental degradation. Expanding cattle ranching, soybean farming, illegal logging, and fire-driven deforestation have led to the large-scale conversion of native forests. Argentina alone lost about seven million hectares of forest between 1998 and 2023, much of it in the Chaco. As of 2024, deforestation has continued to intensify.

Conservation efforts include the establishment of protected areas such as Kaa-Iya National Park in Bolivia, sustainable land-use initiatives, Indigenous-led stewardship programs, and local alliances for climate resilience. However, governance challenges, weak enforcement, and legal gaps continue to limit progress.