Abstract
This chapter provides information on islands of forests immersed in flood-prone savannah-dominated landscapes for biodiversity conservation and productive activities. Our study area in the Paraguayan Chaco is in a region dedicated to low intensity cattle rearing, with native grasslands as forage within a mosaic of natural plant formations. The region is highly diverse due to the variety of plant formations and the great amount of wild fauna. We present results of research projects conducted by the American Chaco Research Center, a Paraguayan research initiative. These results suggest that extensive or semi-extensive ecosystem-based livestock production could be an opportunity to maintain ecosystem services, including biodiversity, in the region via a production system that is highly compatible with the conservation of forest species. Adverse environmental conditions for production (such as floods from rain and periodic floods of the Paraguay River) underscore the importance of maintaining the regulating functions of natural ecosystems, which leads to an opportunity for the conservation of threatened biodiversity. The mosaic of forest islands, flood-prone palm savannas, and wetlands is fundamental for water quality and hydrological regulation as it reduces the intensity of the effects of flooding on neighboring areas, as well as for carbon sequestration. Inclusion of live fencing and the maintenance of continuous areas of intact or lightly disturbed vegetation can increase habitat connectivity, provide a barrier to manage fires, and serve as a refuge for animals when fires occur. These native ecosystems are at high risk of disappearing due to the intensification of agriculture and livestock production, as well as the expansion of urban areas, so strategies for their conservation, including tailor-made incentives are needed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
ECELS (Estado de Conservación de Ecosistemas Lénticos Someros Index) is a methodological tool used to determine the ecological status of wetlands, which was developed by Agencia Catalana del Agua (ACA 2004).
- 2.
Species that are adapted to digging and living in burrows.
- 3.
Calving percentage (porcentaje de parición) is the percentage of females that give birth to calves from the total of cows/heifers serviced by bulls.
- 4.
These are “tajamares” or ponds that have been dug out for rain water collection.
References
Agencia Catalana del Agua (ACA) (2004) Caracterización, regionalización, elaboración de herramientas para la determinación del estado ecológico de los humedales de Catalunya. Catalunya, Espñaa. aca-web.gencat.cat/aca/documents/ca/directiva_marc/zones_humides.pdf. Accessed 2 Mar 2020
Ali W, Javid A, Bhukhari SM, Hussain A, Hussain SM, Rafique H (2018) Comparison of different trap** techniques used in herpetofaunal monitoring: a review. Punjab Univ J Zool 33(1):57–68
Aquino L, Colli G, Reichle S, Silvano D, Scott N (2004) Chiasmocleis albopunctata. The IUCN red list of threatened species 2004, p e.T57748A11680057. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T57748A11680057.en. Accessed 13 Jan 2020
Asociación Paraguaya de Mastozoología (APM), Secretaría del Ambiente (SEAM) (2017) Libro Rojo de los Mamíferos del Paraguay: especies amenazadas de extinción. Editorial CREATIO, Asunción, Paraguay, p 137
Benzaquen L, Blanco DE, Bo R, Kandus P, Lingua G, Minotti P, Quintana R (eds) (2017) Regiones de Humedales de la Argentina. Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable, Fundación Humedales/Wetlands International, Universidad Nacional de San Martín y Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Boródn D (2015) Estimación del contenido de carbono en la cobertura forestal y en el suelo de un bosque mesoxerofítico, Chaco Paraguayo. Tesis de Ingeniería Forestal, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Asunción, Paraguay
Boughton RG, Staiger J, Franz R (2000) Use of PVC pipe refugia as a sampling technique for hylid treefrogs. Am Midl Nat 144:168–177
Brun V (2013) Servicio ecosistémico de almacenamiento de carbono en el suelo del humedal del Río Negro, departamento de Presidente Hayes, Paraguay. Tesis de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Asunción, Paraguay
Brusquetti F, Lavilla EO (2006) Lista comentada de los anfibios del Paraguay. Cuad Herpetol 20(2):3–79
Brusquetti F, Netto F (2008) Geographic distribution: Chiasmocleis albopunctata. Herpetol Rev 39:362
Bucher E (2016) El futuro incierto de los humedales del Chaco: el caso de los bñaados del río Dulce. Paraquaria Natural 4(2):11–17
Caballero-Gini A, Bueno-Villafñae D, Laino R, Musálem K (2020) Diversity of mammals and birds recorded with camera-traps in the Paraguayan humid Chaco. Bol Mus Nac Hist Nat Parag 24(1):5–14
Cartes JL, Clay RP (2009) Paraguay. In: Devenish C, Díaz Fernández DF, Clay RP, Davidson I, Yépez Zabala I (eds) Important bird areas of the Americas – priority sites for biodiversity conservation. BirdLife international (BirdLife conservation series no. 16), Quito, Ecuador, pp 297–306
Chaparro P (2014) Análisis de la relación cobertura vegetal-calidad del agua en el humedal del Río Negro, Presidente Hayes, Paraguay. Tesis de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Asunción, Paraguay
Collevatti R, Leite K, de Miranda G, Rodrigues F (2007) Evidence of high inbreeding in a population of the endangered giant anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla (Myrmecophagidae), from Emas National Park, Brazil. Genet Mol Biol 30(1):112–120
Corn P (1994) Straight-line drift fences and pitfall traps. In: Heyer WR, Donnelly MA, McDiarmid RW, Hayek LC, Foster MS (eds) Measuring and monitoring biological diversity. Standard methods for amphibians. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC
Crooks K, Burdett C, Theobald D, King S, Moreno Di Marco C, Boitani L (2017) Quantification of habitat fragmentation reveals extinction risk in terrestrial mammals. PNAS 114(29):7635–7640. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1705769114
Crump ML, Scott NJ (1994) Visual encounter surveys. In: Heyer WR, Donnelly MA, McDiarmid RW, Hayek LC, Foster MS (eds) Measuring and monitoring biological diversity. Standard methods for amphibians. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC
Del Castillo H (2019) Segunda Actualización de la Lista Comentada de Aves del Paraguay (Guyra Paraguay 2004). Paraquaria Natural 7:8–18
eBird (2020a) EBird Basic Dataset. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. https://ebird.org/paraguay/hotspot/L2762215?yr=all &m=&rank=mrec. Accessed 30 Jan 2020
eBird (2020b) EBird Basic Dataset. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. https://ebird.org/paraguay/hotspot/L6126375?yr=all&m=&rank=mrec. Accessed 30 Jan 2020
El Raiss Z (2014) Análisis de la conectividad para el mono carayá (Alouatta caraya) en un sistema silvopastoril del chaco úhmedo sudamericano. Tesis para el Máster de Restauración de Ecosistemas, Universidad de Alcalá, Espñaa
Ferreira E (2018) Análisis del estado de conservación de tres humedales bajo distintos impactos ambientales antrópicos, Chaco Húmedo, Paraguay. Tesis de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Asunción, Paraguay
Frost DR (2020) Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 (Date of access). Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.5531/db.vz.0001
Galindo I, Barrón J, Padilla JI (2009) Relación entre ganadería extensiva e incendios en zonas forestales del estado de Colima. Avances en Investigación Agropecuaria 13(3):17–33
Ginzburg R, Adámoli J (2006) Situación Ambiental en el Chaco Húmedo. In: Brown A, Martínez Ortiz U, Acerbi M, Corcuera J (eds) La Situación Ambiental Argentina 2005. Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina, Buenos Aires, pp 103–113
Gómez Fernández A, Alcocer I, Matesanz S (2016) Does higher connectivity lead to higher genetic diversity? Effects of habitat fragmentation on genetic variation and population structure in a gypsophile. Conserv Genet 17:631–641
Govender N, Mutanga O, Ntsala D (2012) Veld fire reporting and map** techniques in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, from 1941 to 2011. African J Range Forage Sci 29(2):63–73
Grau HR, Torres R, Gasparri NI, Blendinger PG, Marinaro S, Macchi L (2015) Natural grasslands in the Chaco. A neglected ecosystem under threat by agriculture expansion and forest-oriented conservation policies. J Arid Environ 123:40–46
Guyra Paraguay (2004) Lista comentada de las aves de Paraguay. Annotated checklist of the Birds of Paraguay. Guyra Paraguay, Asunción, Paraguay. 200 pp. www.guyra.org.py
Guyra Paraguay (2018) Monitoreo Mensual del Cambio de Uso y Cobertura de la Tierra, Incendios y Variación de la Cubierta de Aguas en el Gran Chaco Americano. Informe Técnico. Asunción, Paraguay. http://guyra.org.py/informe-deforestacion/
Herrera P, Torrella S, Adámoli J (2003) Los incendios forestales como modeladores del paisaje en la región chaqueña. In: Kunst C, Bravo S, Panigatti J (eds) Fuego en los ecosistemas argentinos. INTA, Santiago del Estero
IPCC (2005) Carbon dioxide capture and storage. Metz B, Davidson O, de Coninck H, Loos M, Meyer L (eds.) https://www.ipcc.ch/report/carbon-dioxide-capture-and-storage/
IUCN (2019) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2019–3. http://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed 30 Jan 2020
Junk WJ, An S, Finlayson CM, Gopal B, Kveˇt J, Mitchell SA, Mitsch WJ, Robarts RD (2013) Current state of knowledge regarding the world’s wetlands and their future under global climate change: a synthesis. Aquat Sci 75:151–167
Kandus P, Morandeira N, Schivo F (eds) (2010) Bienes y servicios ecosistémicos de los humedales del Delta del Paraná. Fundación Humedales/Wetlands International, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Laino L, Musálem K, Laino R (2017) Perspectivas para un desarrollo sustentable: un estudio de caso de producción ganadera en la región del Chaco paraguayo. Población y Desarrollo 45:95–106
Lindenmayer DB, Fischer J (2006) Habitat fragmentation and landscape change: An ecological and conservation synthesis. Island Press, Washington, DC
López-Hernández D, Hernández Valencia I (2009) Nutritional aspects in Trachypogon savannas as related to nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. In: Del Claro K, Oliveira P, Rico-Gray V (eds) Tropical biology and conservation management, volume X, savanna ecosystems. UNESCO/EOLSS, Oxford
Lubián A (2014) Valoración económica de sistemas de producción con inclusión de servicios ecosistémicos en el Bajo Chaco, departamento de Presidente Hayes, Paraguay. Tesis de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Asunción, Paraguay
Macedo R (2018) Análisis de la estructura vegetal humedal-bosque ripario en el humedal del río Negro, Chaco Húmedo, Paraguay. Tesis de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Asunción, Paraguay
MADES (2019) Resolución N° 254/19 “Por la cual se actualiza el listado de las especies protegidas de la vida silvestre de la clase aves”. Ministerio del Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible. Asunción, Paraguay. 10 p
Mamede S, Benites M, Esquivel A, Clay R, de Lima MG, Rodrigues Alho CJ (2019) Turismo de observação de aves no Chaco: oportunidades e desafios ao Corredor Bioceânico, segmento Brasil/Paraguai. Interacções 20:159–177
Maturo HM, Oakley LJ, Prado DE (2005) Vegetación y posición fitogeográfica de la Reserva El Bagual. In: Di Giacomo AG, Krapovickas SF (eds) Historia natural y paisaje de la Reserva El Bagual, Formosa, Argentina. Asociación Ornitológica de La Plata, Buenos Aires. 592pp
Mereles F, Rodas O (2014) Assessment of rates of deforestation classes in the Paraguayan Chaco (great south American Chaco) with comments on the vulnerability of forests fragments to climate change. Clim Change 127:55–71
Mereles F, Cartes JL, Clay R, Cacciali P, Paradeda C, Rodas O, Yanosky A (2013) Análisis cualitativo para la definición de las ecorregiones de Paraguay occidental. Paraquaria Nat 1(2):12–20
Mereles F, Céspedes G, De Egea-Elsam J, Spichiger R (2020a) Estudios fitosociológicos en el Gran Chaco: estructura, composición florística y variabilidad del bosque de Schinopsis balansae en el Chaco Húmedo Boreal, Paraguay. Bonplandia 29(1):39–55
Mereles MF, Cespedes G, Cartes JL, Goerzen R, De Egea-Elsam J, Rodriguez L, Yanosky A, Villalba L, Weiler A, Cacciali P (2020b) Biological corridors as a connectivity tool in the region of the great American Chaco: identification of biodiversity hotspots in the ecoregions of the Paraguayan Chaco. Res Ecology 2(1):27–36
Morello J, Rodríguez A, Silva M (2009) Clasificación de ambientes en áreas protegidas de las ecorregiones del Chaco Húmedo y Chaco Seco. In: Morello J, Rodriguez A (eds) El Chaco sin bosques: la pampa o el desierto del futuro. Orientación Gráfica Editora, Buenos Aires, pp 53–91
Motte M, Zaracho V, Caballero-Gini A, Ferreira-Riveros M, Romero Nardelli L, Coronel-Bejarano D, Netto F, Carosini A, Rojas V, Bueno D, Cabral H, Martínez N (2019) Estado de conservación y lista roja de los anfibios del Paraguay. Bol Mus Nac Hist Nat Parag 23(1):1–62
Mujica N (2014) Habitat factors affecting occupancy and detection of mammals in the Paraguayan Chaco. Master’s Thesis, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA
Nielsen C, Thompson D, Kelly M, Lopez-Gonzalez CA (2015) Puma concolor (errata version published in 2016). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T18868A97216466. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T18868A50663436.en. Accessed 8 Jan 2020
Peña-Chocarro M, De Egea J, Vera M, Maturo H, Knapp S (2006) Guía de árboles y arbustos del Chaco úhmedo. Guyra Paraguay, Asunción, Paraguay, 291pp
Pereyra M, Pol RG, Galetto L (2019) Ant community patterns in highly fragmented Chaco forests of Central Argentina. Austral Ecol 44(4):668–679
Pérez de Molas L (2015) Manual de familias y géneros de árboles del Paraguay. FAO, San Lorenzo, p 216
PINV 15-143 (2018) Proyecto Aporte multidisciplinario a la eco-hidrología de los humedales del Chaco Húmedo. Centro de Investigación del Chaco Americano y Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT). del Paraguay, Asunción, Paraguay
Rodrigues FHG, Medri IM, De Miranda GHB, Camilo-Alves C, Mourao G (2008) Anteater behavior and ecology. In: Vizcaíno SF, Loughry WJ (eds) The biology of the Xenarthra. Florida University Press, Gainesville, pp 257–268
Ruiz-Mirazo J, Robles Cruz AB, Jiménez Piano R, Martínez Moya JL, López Quintanilla J, González Rebollar JL (2007) La prevención de incendios forestales mediante pastoreo controlado: el estado del arte en Andalucía. Sesión 3, Wildfire, Sevilla, Espñaa
Rumbo M (2010) Análisis biogeográfico de los mamíferos de Paraguay. Bol Mus Nac Hist Parag 16(1):18–29
Sato JH, Figueiredo CC, Marchão RL, Madari BE, Benedito LEC, Busato JG, Souza DM (2014) Methods of soil organic carbon determination in Brazilian savannah soils. Sci Agric 71(4):302–308. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-9016-2013-0306
Semper-Pascual A, Macchi L, Sabatini F, Decarre J, Baumann M, Blendinger P, Gomez-Valencia B, Mastrangelo M, Kuemmerle T (2018) Map** extinction debt highlights conservation opportunities for birds and mammals in the south American Chaco. J Appl Ecol 55(3):1–12
Shaffer M (1990) Population Viability Analysis. Conserv Biol 4:39–40
Silveira L, Rodrigues FHG, de Almeida Jácomo AT, Diniz Filho JAF (1999) Impact of wildfires on the megafauna of Emas National Park. Central Brazil Oryx 33(2):108–114
Whelan RJ (2006) The ecology of fire - developments since 1995 and outstanding questions, proceeding of bushfire 2006 - life in a fire-prone environment: translating science into practice conference. Griffith University, Brisbane
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) (2016) Análisis social, económico y ambiental de la producción de soja y carne en Paraguay. WWF-Paraguay, Asunción, Paraguay, Asunción, Paraguay
Zastavniouk C, Weir LK, Fraser D (2017) The evolutionary consequences of habitat fragmentation: body morphology and coloration differentiation among brook trout populations of varying size. Ecol Evol 7(17):6850–6862
Acknowledgments
The American Chaco Research Center is a local initiative promoting biodiversity conservation, environmental research and sustainable cattle production in native grasslands of the Humid Chaco in Paraguay (www.chacoamericano.org). Institutionally, it is supported by the Manuel Gondra Foundation as well as the Estancia Playada associates.
This chapter is based on works carried out in the framework of several research projects: Project PINV 15-143 “Multidisciplinary contribution to the eco-hydrology of the wetlands of the Humid Chaco” and PINV 14-350 “State of the caiman populations in six localities of Paraguay” both financed by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) of Paraguay, and the Project “Initial evaluation of the richness of medium and large sized mammals using camera traps in a silvopastoral system in the American Chaco Research Center” carried out with the support of IDEA WILD. We also presented data obtained in field trips made by researchers and the results of theses of undergraduate and graduate students from national and foreign universities. We also thank Silvina Chaparro, Humberto Sánchez, Paloma Moreno, Lucas Cñaete and people in charge at Estancia Playada who helped during the fieldwork and for making our stay more enjoyable. We dedicate this chapter to the memory of Aldo Florentín, who worked with us in the field during the projects.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Laino, R. et al. (2022). Islands of Forests Among Savannas: Key Elements for Conservation and Production in the Paraguayan Humid Chaco. In: Montagnini, F. (eds) Biodiversity Islands: Strategies for Conservation in Human-Dominated Environments. Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation, vol 20. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92234-4_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92234-4_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-92233-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-92234-4
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)