The Gran Chaco Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future 2025

Images: Getty Images, © Hernan Perez Aguirre | Greenpeace, Flickr, Fundación Solidaridad Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as a contribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result of a collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World Economic Forum but whose results do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of its Members, Partners or other stakeholders. © 2025 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.Contents Foreword 3 Executive summary 4 1 The Gran Chaco: a South American giant at a crossroads 8 2 From local farms to global markets: the Chaco’s role 15 in food supply chains 3 Unsustainable practices weaken Gran Chaco’s ecosystem 25 and productivity 3.1 Historical significance, cultural and demographic diversity 25 3.2 Biodiversity and environmental services 27 3.3 Land-use change, vulnerabilities and socio-economic 28 consequences 4 Unlocking Gran Chaco’s potential: pathways for sustainable 32 development 4.1 Policy-making pathways for a resilient Gran Chaco 33 4.2 Leveraging innovative financial mechanisms 39 to incentivize sustainability 4.3 From farm to industry: harnessing private sector 41 opportunities for sustainable development 4.4 Building resilient, multi-stakeholder governance to navigate 43 political shifts and drive sustainable development 5 Call to action 46 Conclusion 49 Annex 50 Contributors 52 Endnotes 54 The Gran Chaco: Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future 2