Deforestation in Paraguay’s Gran Chaco, driven largely by agribusiness and infrastructure development, poses an increasing threat to the Indigenous Ayoreo people. The communities, living in isolation, risk losing their ancestral lands and customs, and could be exposed to deadly diseases from the outside world, experts warn. Now a global coalition of Indigenous rights advocates is trying to sound the alarm on the problem, in hopes that the Paraguayan government and international community will respond with more ambitious solutions. In February, the International Working Group for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (GTI-PIACI) visited northern Paraguay to better understand the threats against the Ayoreo communities, some of whom still live in isolation, without contact with the outside world. The visit was even more concerning than expected, members told Mongabay. “At any moment, our Ayoreo brothers and sisters in isolation are going to come out,” said Rocío Picaneré, a representative of the Ayoreo Native Council of Eastern Bolivia, which works with GTI-PIACI. “And why is this happening? Because we treat the forest like a supermarket, and the forest is being cleared every day.” GTI-PIACI is made up of 21 Indigenous organizations and civil society groups focused on addressing the threats against uncontacted peoples living in the Amazon Rainforest, Brazilian Cerrado and Gran Chaco, a dry forest ecosystem that covers approximately 65 million hectares (160 million acres) across Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia. It’s the second-largest forest in South America, after the Amazon, and has suffered some of the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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