The Gran Chaco Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future 2025

1The Gran Chaco: a South American giant at a crossroads The biome’s environmental and cultural richness is at risk from unsustainable land use, limited international visibility, local misinformation and climate vulnerability. The Gran Chaco is South America’s second-largest forest ecoregion, spanning approximately 1.1 million km², an area larger than Spain and Germany combined or roughly equal to the size of Bolivia. It is distributed across Argentina (62.2%), Paraguay (25.4%), Bolivia6 (11.6%) and Brazil (0.8%). Table 1 shows the administrative divisions of the Gran Chaco. Map 1 shows the Gran Chaco’s location in South America and Map 2 highlights the biome’s political boundaries across the three principal countries it falls within. Administrative jurisdictions of the Gran Chaco TABLE 1 Note: In Argentina, the report focuses on data from the provinces of Chaco, Formosa, Salta and Santiago del Estero, as they encompass 85% of Argentina’s Gran Chaco region and account for 80% of the country’s deforestation7 – a critical challenge within the biome that underscores the need for action through the pathways proposed in this report. Country Fully included Partially included ArgentinaChaco, Formosa and Santiago del Estero Salta, Córdoba, Corrientes, Catamarca, Jujuy, La Rioja, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Fe and Tucumán Bolivia– Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Tarija ParaguayBoquerón, Alto Paraguay and Presidente Hayes – The Gran Chaco: Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future 8