Paraguay submits updated plans for Chaco Biosphere Reserve

Paraguay sent the United Nations updated information about how the Chaco Biosphere Reserve should be managed and divided into zones.

The reserve covers part of the Gran Chaco, where farms and cattle ranches have driven extensive forest loss.

Indigenous Ayoreo communities live in the region, including a group in voluntary isolation that is especially vulnerable to diseases brought from outside.

UNESCO is reviewing Paraguay’s progress, and the reserve’s future status will depend on effective management and including local communities.