Paraguay meets UN deadline for improving governance in Chaco Biosphere Reserve

Paraguay submitted updated management information to UNESCO for the Chaco Biosphere Reserve by a September deadline, responding to a 2023 request for clearer zoning and governance plans. The reserve covers about 7.5 million hectares of the Gran Chaco, home to the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode, the last uncontacted Indigenous group in South America outside the Amazon.

Critics note the reserve has functioned mostly as a designation rather than active regulation, with deforestation for farming and ranching continuing despite rules on clearing. Neither Paraguay nor UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Program would share details of the submitted plan, with UNESCO saying information may surface in 2027 after internal review.

There is no automatic penalty for missing deadlines, though UNESCO says it is monitoring the site's designation status.

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