Gran Chaco (South America)
The Gran Chaco is a vast, semi-arid region in South America, spanning parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. It is the largest forested area outside of the Amazon rainforest, covering approximately 2.5 million acres and characterized by diverse ecosystems, including dry thorn forests, palm savannahs, marshes, and swamps. The region experiences significant climate extremes, with summer temperatures reaching up to 113°F (45°C) and winter temperatures dropping near freezing. Historically, the Gran Chaco was sparsely populated, with indigenous groups such as the Ayoreo, Guaraní, and Wichí adapting to its challenging environment.
Since the 1980s, the area has faced extensive deforestation, primarily driven by agricultural expansion, particularly for soy farming, and cattle ranching. These activities have led to the loss of over 85% of the region's virgin forests, resulting in severe ecological consequences, such as salinization and desertification. Despite these challenges, the Gran Chaco is home to a rich biodiversity, including unique species like the pink fairy armadillo and the Gran Chacoan peccary. Efforts are ongoing to promote sustainable land use and protect the rights of indigenous populations, as well as the remaining ecosystems within this ecologically significant area.
Gran Chaco (South America)
The Gran Chaco (pronounced Grawn Chaw-co) of interior South America is an arid region spread across the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. This vast, subtropical area is the largest forested area in South America outside of the Amazon rainforest. It remained largely undeveloped until the 1980s, when soy farm growth increasingly led to its deforestation. Located south of the Amazon, it is bordered by the Paraguay and Paraná Rivers to the east and the Beni River to the west. It stretches from the central Brazilian state of Mato Grosso in the north to the Argentine Pampas in the south. Most of the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia are found within the Gran Chaco area.
Since the area was targeted for agricultural development, it has been subject to massive deforestation. More than 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) of land were being clear-cut a day during the era of its greatest development. As a result, more than 85 percent of the Gran Chaco's virgin lowland and montane forests have been destroyed. In 2017, Paraguay had the sixth-fastest rate of deforestation of any country in the world; almost all of this environmental degradation is confined to the Gran Chaco region.
Background
The Gran Chaco (meaning "hunting land" in the Quechua language) consists of 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares) of land in south central South America. It located between latitude 17° and 33° South and longitude 65° and 60° West. It is the second-largest forested area in the Western Hemisphere after the Amazon rainforest. It is divided between Argentina, in which 61 percent of the Gran Chaco is located; Paraguay (27 percent); Bolivia (11 percent); and Brazil (1 percent). This region is home to several indigenous peoples who have adapted to the region's climate extremes, which can include highs of 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) in the summer and freezing temperatures in the winter. Its native peoples include the Ayoreo, Chiquitano, Guaraní, Qom, Sanapaná, Wichí, and Xákmok Kásek.
It contains a diverse set of distinct environments, ranging from dry thorn forests and cactus stands to broad palm savannahs that flood annually. It also contains marshes, salt flats, arid plains, and swamps. The region lacks any significant land barriers such as mountains, so these environments transition naturally from one area into the next. The broader Gran Chaco region is characterized by having two distinct weather patterns: a dry season stretching from May through October and a wet season from November to April.
The soils of the western region of the Gran Chaco consist of sandy loam that is highly fertile. However, the comparatively dry nature of its climate initially limited its agricultural development. Recent technological advancements, including in the field of zero tillage farming, have made cultivation of these areas more viable, which in turn has promoted the increased development of the area.
For the vast majority of its settlement, the Gran Chaco was sparsely populated. Only a small collection of communities along the major rivers existed, as these areas allowed the inhabitants access to fresh water in an otherwise dry environment. The first farms used European farming techniques to grow such crops as cotton and maize like those cultivated in similarly temperate regions of North America. Many native peoples ,such as the Xákmok Kásek community, were forced off their ancestral lands to make way for this increased development.
European capital was responsible for much of the development of the region. The growth of the Mennonite community was another key factor in its growth. A large Canadian contingent from this religious group settled in the area in the 1920s. A second wave of Mennonites escaping religious oppression in the Soviet Union followed these initial Mennonites into the region in the 1930s. The descendants of these settlers continue to own the largest share of cattle ranches in the area. After the independence of the collective South American nations that form the Gran Chaco, its boundaries were disputed in the late nineteenth century, until a series of regional conflicts settled its borders. Renewed disputes between Paraguay and Bolivia over water rights and possible oil deposits led to the Gran Chaco War (1932 – 1935).
The development of refrigerated ships and a growing taste for beef resulted in the further spread of cattle ranches throughout the interior of the Gran Chaco. With the growth of its cattle industry, an extensive network of railroads was built throughout the region to accommodate travel and the transport of beef. This Gran Chaco beef industry eventually drove the initial development and settlement of the region.
Overview
By the end of the twentieth century, the cattle ranches' economic influence—and with it, the region's overall prosperity—was in great decline. This era of Gran Chaco ranching also left an unfortunate legacy. For most of its history, little to no oversight of the cattle industry was undertaken. As a result, the cattle ranches were largely overstocked, which led to excessive grazing and environmental degradation of ranching lands. Salinization and desertification are enduring legacies of these practices.
The settlement of the Gran Chaco region has largely relied on unsustainable methods of agricultural development. Slash-and-burn farming and unregulated development have severely damaged many of its ecosystems. The low cost of land within its boundaries has further led to an influx of Brazilian farmers who continue to use environmentally damaging practices. If such trends continue, biologists estimate that the region could be completely deforested outside its protected zones by 2035. Activists have sought to promote more sustainable land use practices while including indigenous peoples in their attempts to preserve the remaining ecosystems. They have also sought increased protections for its indigenous populations. Despite these efforts, rapid deforestation continued throughout the early 2020s. Experts urged local governments to more-strictly regulate land use in the future to halt the spread of the region's agricultural sector.
Despite its arid climate, it contains one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. More than three thousand plant species, five hundred birds, one hundred and fifty mammals, and two hundred reptiles and amphibians have been recorded within its boundaries. The Gran Chaco contains a variety of unusual endemic species found nowhere else in the world, including the pink fairy armadillo and the Gran Chacoan peccary. It is further regarded as an important bird migration zone.
The best-preserved lands of the Gran Chaco are located in Bolivia. The country's Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park consists of 13,000 square miles (34,000 square kilometers) of mostly pristine forestland. This park is larger in size than the nation of Belgium, although it has faced growing issues with drug trafficking, petroleum drilling, and the installation of gas pipelines.
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