Deforestation In Paraguay

Deforestation in Paraguay is an example of the destruction of the environment that goes on in most developing countries that through wanting to industrialize or because of lack of laws or resources and the will to implement them. Deforestation is a huge problem that has already taken away a big chunk of the country’s forests. There are no exact rates of deforestation in Paraguay, but the Secretariat of the Environment estimates that it is around 130,000 hectares a year.

Paraguay is separated into two regions, the eastern or Oriental Region that has 39 percent of the territory and 97 percent of the population and the western or Chaco Region that has 61 percent of the country’s surface but only 3 percent of the population. The east and west regions of Paraguay are divided by the Paraguay River and there is only about two percent of forest land left in the eastern region due to the expansion of soybean cultivation, cattle ranching and logging.

The destruction of Paraguayan forests is due to the cattle industry, soy farming and logging. There is a big issue with loggers coming in from Brazil and cutting down trees and taking them back to their country as raw materials. So, not only does Paraguay lose its forests but many times the country can not even profit from them. There is also the issue that only only a few hands own a great majority of the land and these hands only look to profit from the land. The model for development in Paraguay is, as in most of the world, an unsustainable model of progress.

Paraguay has a long history or even culture of corruption. This corruption is in all levels of government, from national to local. The Colorado Party has had a huge part in this. Because of this anyone who has the money and means to pay off authorities can do whatever he or she wants. And this includes the destruction of the Paraguayan ecosystem.

Almost all of the Paraguayan countryside is privately owned. Some of the primary responsible parties for all of the deforestation are private parties and the government that lets them do whatever they want. During the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner large sections of land were given to his friends and supporters (who were mostly all military generals). This has been passed down until today when few families own a lot of the land.

Paraguay has recently put into action a Zero Deforestation Law for the eastern region (or Upper Parana) of the country. “Before Paraguay's Zero Deforestation Law came into force in December 2004, the South American nation had the second highest deforestation rate in the world” (WWF, 2006).But, the destructive cattle ranchers and loggers are moving into the western region of the country. The Zero Deforestation Law expired at the end of 2008 but luckily it was renewed for another five years. But the western forests also need to be protected.

More sources:

WWF Paraguay

Interesting article on deforestation and indigenous peoples in Paraguay