While ecological efforts in the neighboring Amazon receive more global attention, the Gran Chaco is no less important. More than twice the size of California, it is South America’s second-largest forest. The Gran Chaco is among the most ecologically diverse areas on the planet, home to over 3,400 species of plants, 500 varieties of birds, 200 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 150 species of mammals. The vegetation in this region sustains a diverse landscape of mixed savannahs, tropical rainforests, shrubby woodlands, and seasonally flooded areas.

Jaguars, ocelots, pumas, lowland tapirs, capybaras, giant armadillos, anteaters, monkeys, toucans, and bats all roam the vast areas of this hot and semi-arid forest. In May 2021, giant river otters—once believed extinct—were once again seen romping in the Ibera wetlands of Argentina for the first time in 40 years.

In addition to its majestic biodiversity, the Gran Chaco is also one of the greatest carbon reservoirs in the world. Its trees hold tens of millions of tons of carbon dioxide, with each square kilometer storing roughly 13,000 tonnes of CO².

All that natural beauty, along with the critical climate protection these forests offer, is at risk—endangering not only the region’s flora and fauna, but the health of the entire planet.

Paraguay in Peril: Deforesting the Green Heart of Paraguay

The Gran Chaco region is a deforestation hot spot, suffering one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. In just the past two decades, 90,000 square kilometers of forest have been lost.

The Paraguayan Chaco, nestled between the winding Pilcomayo and Paraguay rivers, is not only a jewel of nature, but it also makes up much of the country’s land. More than 60% of Paraguay’s land area is within the Chaco, although it contains only 3% of the country’s population. Although this area is one of the most sparsely inhabited areas in South America, it is still home to more than a dozen Indigenous tribes, who have lived on this remote and pristine land for millennia.

Clearing forests for soybean cultivation and large-scale cattle ranching has been a prominent driver of deforestation throughout the region, particularly in Paraguay. Paraguay ranks as one of the top ten countries worldwide that is heavily dependent on cattle, with major exports of leather coming from the Chaco for use by auto manufacturers in Europe.

According to a report by Earthsight, between 1987 and 2012, actors within Paraguay destroyed around 4.4 million hectares of its national protected forest, with the whole purpose of expanding cattle ranches for mass consumption. A NASA analysis found that, between 1985 and 2016, approximately 20 percent of Gran Chaco forestland was lost to deforestation, amounting to 14.2 million hectares.

Since then, the rate of deforestation in the Gran Chaco has only accelerated.

Data collected from WRI’s Global Forest Watch showed deforestation increased by 78 percent in 2019, with a football pitch of forest being destroyed every two minutes in the Paraguayan Chaco. In fact, Paraguay suffered the greatest deforestation of the Gran Chaco, losing an area larger than Switzerland.

We cannot successfully fight against global climate change without a system built to preserve forests like the Gran Chaco.

Quadriz and People-Powered Change

Providing alternatives to cattle ranching that allow landowners to benefit from their land is critical to slowing deforestation and protecting biodiversity. REDD+ projects are a key solution to the Gran Chaco’s deforestation problem. (“REDD” stands for “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation,” while the “+” refers to the sustainable management of forests and the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.)

An integral component of the Paris Climate Agreements, REDD+ projects are designed to support efforts to slow, stop, and reverse deforestation. Given the glacial pace of international climate action, voluntary efforts have taken the lead in preserving the forests of the world—and efforts to save the Gran Chaco are no exception.

REDD+ projects help mobilize climate finance from the Global North and drive investment to projects in the Global South where traditional funding mechanisms are unavailable or insufficient. In the absence of definitive international action, REDD+ projects in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) utilize carbon credits to help fund forest and biodiversity efforts while providing benefits to communities and the economy.

From Quadriz, the men and women fight every day to protect the Paraguayan Chaco. Their flagship large-scale REDD+ initiative, the Corazón Verde del Chaco Project, works to halt the deforestation of hundreds of thousands of at-risk hectares, maintaining the biodiversity of the area and helping the local economy. The project also reduces and avoids greenhouse gas emissions sustainably by focusing on the conservation and protection of forests.

Corazón Verde del Chaco—the Green Heart of the Chaco—serves as a lifeline for one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet. It is not just a conservation effort; it is a bold new model. Leveraging private land ownership with community conservation, this nature-based solutions project complements the economic powerhouses of cattle ranching and soybean farming, making forest protection a viable, scalable community-led solution.

In a place where 50 to 75 percent of the land can legally be turned into farmland, Quadriz and the Corazón Verde del Chaco team have drawn a line in the soil. Every acre saved is a win, and the project is already protecting 32,000 hectares of forest in the region, with plans to expand to 300,000 hectares in the coming years.

Community in Action

One of the key aspects of the Corazón Verde del Chaco Project is quantifying and monitoring biodiversity in the region.

In June 2021, Quadriz and the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences (FACEN) at the University of Asunción launched a study and began installing motion-sensitive high-definition camera units designed to record wildlife in its natural habitat. The study monitors threatened species and analyzes data such as diversity, relative abundance, species accumulation curve, and habitat type distribution.

These camera traps have already recorded a number of vulnerable and endangered species. The new biodiversity monitoring work is certified with the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards Program and will provide valuable data to support conservation actions.

In January 2022, for example, one of the project’s camera traps captured a photo sequence of a jaguar family, in which a female and her two cubs can be seen. Later that year, images of the same family were captured again; the cubs are now nearly the same size as their mother.

The project is also monitoring the lowland tapir. A solitary, vulnerable species, the tapir works tirelessly to maintain the richness of the Chaco ecosystem. During the night, tapirs move to more open areas such as scrub or grasslands, rivers, and lagoons. The destruction and fragmentation of its natural habitat are the main threats facing the tapir.

In addition to protecting the forests and biodiversity, the Corazón Verde del Chaco Project is also helping the people living in and around the area.

Protecting Endangered Forests: Verra and the Voluntary Carbon Market

Behind the Corazón Verde del Chaco Project is Verra, turning bold ideas into real world results. This is what the VCM is all about: bringing hope, resilience, and a brighter future to life, one tree at a time. Verra helps protect forests like the Gran Chaco by pairing global finance with local leaders, who use that investment to preserve trees and the diverse wildlife within the forest.

Verra works with the project developer Quadriz on the Corazón Verde del Chaco Project (VCS Project 2611) to bring critical investment and new revenue models to the conservation project and broaden the scope of its work. A leader in helping drive finance to credible projects across the globe, Verra also pioneered the groundbreaking science behind REDD.

Quadriz’s Gabriela Viñales, director, Paraguay, appreciates what Verra and the VCM help the project achieve: “With Verra, we check progress and see how to improve every year. The monitoring we do with Verra is what helps us ensure that all the criteria and indicators for conservation, for maintenance of biodiversity and for the support the communities that must be met.”

James Eaton, director at Ostrya Conservation, one of Quadriz’s partner organizations, agrees.

Keeping forests standing is vital to achieving our global climate goals. Deforestation accounts for as much as a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon markets are the best and most readily available tool we have for forest protection. The recent approval of new carbon credit market legislation in Paraguay highlights the potential to support additional projects in the Gran Chaco.

Leveraging innovative financial strategies and building strong local partnerships leads to stronger communities and a more sustainable future. Together, Quadriz and Verra are working to protect the planet’s well-being—and the well-being of generations to come.

Verra's Perspective

Corazón Verde del Chaco shows us the possibilities when forest conservation is aligned into the principles of community growth. By safeguarding vital ecosystems and creating sustainable livelihoods, this project proves that environmental stewardship can drive lasting change for both people and the planet. It’s a powerful reminder that protecting nature also means empowering communities for generations to come.

Palak Sharma

Lead Program Officer, SD VISta Program Management Department | Verra

Project Perspective

We very much appreciate Verra’s platform, services, and world-class reference in facilitating maximum integrity for global buyers of our forest preservation projects in the Paraguayan Chaco. We experience that high-quality REDD+ projects based on Verra's certification requirements provide immediate, trustworthy, and economically viable alternatives to planned deforestation

Gabriela Viñales

Director | Quadriz