The Gran Chaco Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future 2025

Complementing national climate-related policies, several key strategies have been developed to enhance forest resource management in Gran Chaco countries. For additional details on national strategies and each country’s regulatory guidelines on climate change refer to Tables A1 and A2 in the Annex. Bolivia: enhancing conservation through protected areas and Indigenous leadership BOX 14 Increasing the percentage of protected areas, including the creation of national parks and the recognition of Indigenous and traditional community lands, is essential for advancing conservation efforts. Bolivia’s Gran Chaco exemplifies this approach, maintaining a well-conserved landscape due to its extensive protected areas and small-scale local agricultural practices. Indigenous-led initiatives further strengthen conservation, as demonstrated by the Indigenous Autonomous Government in Charagua (Santa Cruz de la Sierra). This governance model has designated significant land for preservation and established an ecological corridor connecting Kaa Iya and Otuquis National Parks, ensuring habitat connectivity and biodiversity protection.Protected areas not only ensure the preservation of the biome but also play a strategic role in mitigating natural disasters. During the wildfires of September to October 2024, hotspots in Bolivia – particularly in Santa Cruz Department (e.g. San José de Chiquitos and Pailón) – highlighted the critical function of protected zones. These areas acted as natural firebreaks, reducing fire spread and preserving biodiversity. These national strategies provide a blueprint for aligning conservation goals with community-led governance and proactive public policies. Enforcing existing national laws requires stronger governance While Gran Chaco countries have established national laws and strategies to address climate change and biodiversity conservation, their effective implementation remains work in progress. Key challenges, particularly related to funding, governance and enforcement, highlight opportunities for enhancing institutional frameworks and improving coordination across national and regional levels. Strengthening governance structures and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration can help bridge implementation gaps, ensuring that policies translate into tangible environmental and socio-economic benefits. Argentina situation update Provincial adherence to OTBN: All forested provinces have approved their OTBNs (Territorial Planning of Native Forests, in Spanish), classifying forests into red, yellow and green conservation zones (Map 5). This framework has established the OTBN as a cornerstone of national environmental policy and a distinctive tool for territorial planning at the national level. Consultations with governmental stakeholders underscore OTBN’s significance as a milestone in environmental planning. However, OTBN criteria vary significantly across provinces, particularly in the Gran Chaco, where standardization is constrained by funding limitations and insufficient technical resources. Increased Forest Fund allocation needed: The Forest Fund has received less than 10% of its legislated budget, with only 2.9% projected for 2025. Underfunding restricts the law’s impact on deforestation, although funded conservation plans have shown positive results.81 Increased financing could amplify these effects and improve enforcement. Impact on deforestation: Despite national efforts to reduce deforestation through the Forest Law, illegal clearing remains widespread, particularly in red and yellow zones of the Gran Chaco. Weak enforcement continues to undermine the law’s impact, allowing deforestation in protected areas. In 2022, northern Argentina lost approximately 112,545 hectares of forest, with the Gran Chaco provinces of Santiago del Estero, Chaco, Formosa and Salta being the most affected. Alarmingly, over 80% of deforestation in Santiago del Estero was illegal, occurring in Category I (Red) and Category II (Yellow) forests, where clearing is strictly prohibited. In Chaco province, illegal deforestation reached 36,159 hectares in 2022, a sharp increase from 24,427 hectares in 2021, which were also illegally cleared.82 80% of deforestation in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, in 2022 was illegal. 36 The Gran Chaco: Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future