San Rafael: Paraguay’s Living Stronghold for the Atlantic Forest
Through our work and our local partner in Paraguay, Guyra Paraguay, the reserve has been officially confirmed as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), a global recognition that strengthens its legal and institutional safeguards.
San Rafael National Park stands as one of Paraguay’s last great bastions of the Atlantic Forest—a landscape of towering trees, mist, and resilience. Today, this vital ecosystem is taking a decisive step toward long-term protection.
International recognition for a threatened landscape
This confirmation is a major achievement for conservation in the country. Validated by the KBA Secretariat, it ensures that San Rafael meets rigorous international scientific standards. The designation elevates the park’s visibility within global conservation, priorities and opens new opportunities for technical cooperation and climate finance. It also provides a strong counterbalance to recent efforts to weaken its legal protection—reaffirming the need for a solid framework for the future of this iconic forest.
Climate finance and restoration: a model of sustainability
Beyond this international recognition, the National Park is blazing an innovative trail toward financial sustainability: a carbon project focused on ecological restoration. This initiative will channel climate finance directly into forest regeneration, actively involving local stakeholders. Indigenous communities and rural landowners have already participated in the first consultations, demonstrating a genuine commitment to inclusion and equity.
The project seeks to restore degraded areas through assisted regeneration, reforestation with native species, and the implementation of agroforestry systems. More than a technical effort, it represents a concrete mechanism to sustain conservation in San Rafael for decades to come, integrating environmental protection and community development in a territory historically marked by land tenure conflicts and institutional weakness.
Building the future: San Rafael 2050
These advances are part of a long-term vision. Along with the designation as a KBA and the carbon project, Guyra Paraguay is promoting institutional efforts aimed at ensuring sustainability over time. These include the development of a financial plan aligned with the San Rafael 2050 Vision and the training of local human capital in forest restoration and sustainable management.
A model for the Atlantic Forest and beyond
San Rafael demonstrates that protecting the Atlantic Forest in Paraguay requires a combination of solutions: international legitimacy, innovative financing, and community participation. By connecting local action with global conservation priorities, Guyra Paraguay and BirdLife International are ensuring that this unique landscape receives the protection it deserves and a sustainable future.
