San Rafael
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San Rafael is situated in the South-east of Paraguay in the departments of Itapúa and Caazapá. It is a area of forested lands and natural savannahs of 60,000 hectares and represents the remaining of the originally much larger ‘Bosque Atlántico del Alto Paraná’, the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest. The forest provides shelter for globally threatened species as well as endemic endangered species that depend on the Atlantic Forest to survive. More then 310 bird species have been recorded, including the Harpy Eagle, Blue-Winged Macaw and the Bare -Throated Bell- Bird. Also very rare mammal species such as the Giant Armadillo, Bushdog, Lowland Tapir, Tarmandua, Dwarf Red-Brocket Deer and the Maned Wolf form part of the biodiversity of San Rafael.
San Rafael gained a priority conservation status in the country, since 1997 it is a designated Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International. In addition, WWF declared the area as a ‘biodiversity hotspot’.
San Rafael is a designated National Park. However, much of the land remains under private ownership and is not managed for conservation purposes but under threat of forest clearance for agricultural production, logging and even hunting. So far, fundraising campaigns enabled Guyra Paraguay to buy 6,000 ha of land of the National Park for strict protection.
Guyra Paraguay
PARAGUAY - The non-governmental organization Guyra Paraguays mission is to lead, promote and coordinate progress towards the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, with a special focus on birds, through advocacy, research, public awareness and active community participation. We aim ...
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