The San Rafael Reserve

The Ecoregion: Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest

Imagine yourself in one of the most endangered wildernesses in the world: La Cordillera San Rafael, a dense, humid, subtropical forest in the heart of South America. The sounds of hundreds of bird species, many unique to this ecoregion, fill the air. Brown capuchin monkeys and giant toucans play overhead in the trees.

The ecoregion, known as the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest, is internationally recognized as one of the highest biodiversity regions on the globe. With over 400 registered species of birds, 61 species of mammals, and many species of amphibians and reptiles, it's no surprise this habitat is a high priority for conservation efforts. Forty percent of the thousands of plant species in the Upper Paraná are endemic to the region and many are known for their medicinal properties.

The Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest is one of 15 smaller ecoregions that make up the entire Atlantic Forest ecoregion, which originally spanned over 386,000 square miles across northeastern coastal Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Only 7 % of the original forest cover remains.

Original and preserved until today extent of Atlantic Forest

San Rafael Natural Resource Management Reserve

The largest remnant of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest remaining in Paraguay is located in the southeastern provinces of Caazapá and Itapúa. Paraguay‚s federal government designated 73,000 hectares (180,000 acres) as San Rafael National Park in 1992, but failed to complete the purchase of the land. In 2002, the land became the San Rafael Natural Resource Management Reserve, a status which leaves it in the hands of approximately 50 landowners. This critical wildlife habitat is currently available for the sustainable use of forestry products, hydro-electric power generation, outdoor recreation, agriculture, and cattle raising.

San Rafael Natural Resource Management Reserve is the most complete example of the diverse species of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest. Life here is sustained by the Guarani Aquifer, the largest underground freshwater source in South America. Inside the Reserve, 392 bird species have been documented, including the surucua trogon (Trogon surrucura), saffron toucanet (Baillonius bailloni), and crested eagle (Morphnus guianensis). Mammals include the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), capibara (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris), black howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) and the endangered jaguar (Panthera onca). The diverse flora includes endemic orchid species, fern species such as the ancient tree fern, and tree species that reach over 100 feet.

Indigenous people, called the Mbya Guarani, rely on the forests of San Rafael for their livelihood. The 20 communities inside the Reserve and the 14 in the surrounding area are protected by law. One of the few native populations in the Paraguayan Atlantic Forest that has enough land for a sustainable lifestyle, they have the right to hunt and gather using traditional methods on their traditional lands within the Reserve. The preservation of this area is of vital importance for their future, so the Mbya can have an adequate environment to live according to their ancestral traditions.

Satellite image of the San Rafael Reserve

Challenges We Face

While the Paraguayan government is increasingly interested in the San Rafael Reserve and has declared it a protected area under Law 352/94 (giving it the status of a "Reserve of Managed Resources"), the government lacks the resources to enforce pro-wilderness laws or to compensate landowners. Landowners often perceive more incentives to deforest their land than to protect its natural state.

Therefore, the greatest obstacle to a sustainable management plan for the conservation of San Rafael is arriving at agreement between the property owners, indigenous people and other local inhabitants, and government and non-government organizations.

Other serious challenges include water contamination and health risks from toxic agricultural chemicals, illegal logging and hunting, and illegal land invasions by peasants that displace and destroy indigenous peoples and native wildlife.