THE MBARACAYU
FOREST RESERVE
And The Story of Its Success

Introduction
The Fundacion's Story
Of Bats and Ectoparasites
Learning to Preserve
Graphics Version

THE FOUNDATION'S STORY
by Juanita Thigpen

In October of 1987, Kim Hill, a North American anthropologist who had been studying the Ache indians, a small hunter-gather society from the interior Atlantic forests of northern Paraguay, discovered that the land that is today the Mbaracayu Forest Reserve was up for sale. Hill had increasingly become alarmed by the rapid pace the Ache's native lands were falling victim to the bulldozer and believed it was time to act.

Ten years earlier, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) had lent money to a Paraguayan plywood mill operator who had gone bankrupt. When the businessman defaulted on the loan, the IFC took the property as collateral. Hill approached Raul Gauto, the then director of Paraguay's Conservation Data Center (CDC), and Alan Randall, the Paraguay Country Director for The Nature Conservancy, to see if the land could be saved. (The Nature Conservancy is a leading international conservation organization based in the U.S.)

"The CDC, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), had done an environmental profile of Paraguay in 1985 that had determined that this area was of utmost importance," said Gauto.

Scientists had discovered that the region's 19 natural communities were home to various threatened species, including jaguars, tapirs, white-winged night jars, bush dogs, giant armadillos, Hyacinth Macaws, caiman, and Paraguay's national bird - the bare throated bellbird. Furthermore, the land was rapidly becoming an island in a sea of deforestation as Paraguayan and Brazilian colonists were quickly moving into the region to harvest the lumber and convert the forest into pasture.

Randall and Gauto approached the International Finance Corporation to see if they would be willing to donate the 58,000-hectare property to the Paraguayan national parks system. "They practically laughed us out of the house," recalls Randall.

"That land is worth $7 million!," they told us."

At the same time, Paraguay was being governed by one of the longest- lasting and most-corrupt military dictatorships in world history. Environmental issues were consistently being ignored.

"Our friends in Paraguay were saying we shouldn't give the land to the government because they will probably parcel it out to campesinos (General Alfredo Stroessner's base of support) or give it to a General to harvest for timber," said Randall.

A Window of Opportunity

As it became evident that neither the Paraguayan government nor the IFC would help the conservationists, Randall and Gauto decided to look into establishing a private non-profit foundation that would raise the funds and awareness needed to acquire the property.

"I was motivated by John F. Kennedy, who once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,"" said Gauto.

They consulted Alvaro Ugalde, who had worked with The Nature Conservancy in the creation of the Foundation for National Parks in Costa Rica. Ugalde played an instrumental role in setting up the framework for the foundation's establishment and advised Gauto and Randall that they should recruit active members of the Paraguayan community to help.

Finding board members was challenging in a society that lacked a philanthropic tradition and interest in the environment. But Gauto, a persistent networker, targeted like-minded people who he suspected might be willing to participate.

Some said, "I know nothing about this, I'm not sure I even believe in it, but I am going to join you."

"I was delighted by the idea, but I was very scared," recalls Greta Gustafson, a rancher and founding executive board member. "How in the world are we going to raise that money?" she said. "I had worked for many charity groups, but we had raised money through bake sales -- but $7 million? -- I had no idea how to raise that."

In December, 1988, the group founded the Fundacion Moises Bertoni, naming it after a Swiss-born naturalist who had immigrated to Paraguay and made a name for himself internationally for his scientific discoveries. Gauto was named the group's executive director. At the same time, U.S. Ambassador Timothy Towell and his wife Dane had taken up residence at the U.S. Embassy in Paraguay. Gauto and Randall couldn't have found better allies. The couple were strong environmental supporters.

"It was the one thing he could talk about without offending Stroessner," said Randall. "The ambassador was good at keeping the issue on the front burner."

Towell arranged for then U.S. Senator Tim Wirth to visit Mbaracayu. Following his visit, the senator stepped up pressure on the president of the World Bank asking for the IFC to lower its price. (The World Bank oversees the IFC). The project was even brought to the attention of the White House as then Vice President Dan Quayle was debriefed on the plans to protect Mbaracayu. International indian rights groups, concerned about the loss of the Ache's traditional hunting grounds, also got involved writing letters to the IFC and the World Bank.

At the time, the World Bank was getting more and more criticism for its lack of attention to environmental matters. It had recently issued a mandate that none of its policies would contribute to the significant loss of tropical forests.

Another window of opportunity opened up in February of 1989 when General Stroessner was overthrown by his right-hand man, General Andres Rodriguez. "Seeing that this project would not require an economic cost and would help improve Paraguay's image, Rodriguez instructed the government to collaborate," says Gauto. "It was springtime for the environment in Paraguay," he added.

Negotiating to Success

Eventually, the World Bank started to cave in. "The head of the IFC phoned me one day and said, "Come on over, we need to talk,"" says Randall. Through a series of negotiations, The Nature Conservancy, FMB, the World Bank and the IFC came up with a plan. By this time, the asking price had dropped to $5 million. Taking a chance, Randall put up an offer of $2 million in cash. Nature Conservancy president John C. Sawhill had agreed to lend the money from the Conservancy's Land Preservation Fund. The Bank said, "let's talk further," says Randall.

After much debate -- the issue was quite controversial among member countries who saw the difference of $3M as an outright donation to only one nongovernmental organization -- the Bank accepted the offer but returned with a series of conditions: first, that the rights of the indians would be respected; second, that the land would not be expropriated; and finally, that a provision be made for the protection and management of the land once acquired.

Gauto and Randall managed to raise the needed funds without having to take out a loan from the Conservancy. An anonymous donor from Ohio gave $750,000. The U.S.-based utility, AES Corporation, donated $500,000. USAID gave $500,000 and miscellaneous donors gave another $250,000.

To protect the land, the government of Paraguay, assisted by FMB board member Esteban Burt, drafted a law that permanently protected the property and allowed the Ache indians to continue subsistent hunting on the preserve. Law 112/91 was ratified by both houses of parliament and signed by President Rodriguez in a highly publicized ceremony in June of 1991 at the presidential palace.

"It was the biggest honor of my life to sign the document," says board member Gustafson, who signed the international agreement on behalf of FMB.

Ecological Westerns

FMB realized that the reserve could not survive without an aggressive management program. Illegal hunting and wood harvesting was rampant throughout the property. Squatters had also illegally established farms in Mbaracayu. Fund raising efforts allowed FMB to eventually hire 10 park guards and construct five park guard stations on the park's perimeter. The organization chose the guards carefully, preferring to hire locals who had experience with nature and who could serve as examples to the community.

"Before, hunting occurred a lot," says Sylverio Ramirez, a park guard and farmer from Villa Ygatimi, a neighboring village. "But now, most people respect the hunting laws."

"When the reserve started, we would find 30 hunters a day, now we suspect that only two or three enter a day," he added.

Ramirez says that the guards thoroughly patrol the sizeable property on foot twice a month, spending nights in the woods. When they find an illegal hunter, they first explain what the reserve is for and explain that it is illegal to kill or injure an animal. "Sometimes we find good people, sometimes not." Ramirez says that park guards will detain uncooperative trespassers until the police come.

On a recent weekend, FMB executive director Raul Gauto, standing at the foot of a grassy airstrip, trains his binoculars on the horizon. The airstrip, located in the preserve's heart, is where guests who do not have time to endure the 16-hour round-trip journey land.

"Do you hear that hum"" says the U.S.-educated Gauto, in a near perfect American accent. "That's an airplane," he says confidently.

Within minutes, a Cessna turbo prop plane plops down effortlessly onto the runway. Among the guests is FMB's lawyer who has come from the organization's headquarters in Asuncion to assist Gauto with a hunter who was found illegally hunting on the property. Careening down the runway's other axis is a police jeep. Inside is the hunter who has been detained in a local jail for a week. For strategic reasons, Gauto has decided not to press charges but to release the prisoner to his native village of Guyra Keha, a colony that was formed just three years ago on the preserve's southeastern boundary. The lawyer jumps into Gauto's waiting pickup and the caravan takes off for the village. Through a seemingly impassable road that traverses the reserve, the caravan eventually arrives in Guyra Keha an hour later. One is reminded of a spaghetti western as Gauto, with a judge at his side, releases the prisoner in a dusty plaza in front of the entire town, warning the community that the next illegal hunter caught will not be as fortunate.

Sustainable Traditions

FMB works hard to maintain good relations with neighboring communities. Since the beginning, the foundation has emphasized sustainable economic development, that is, working with neighboring communities to ensure that their economic activities would not harm the local environment while not hurting jobs. Without such cooperation, FMB believes it can not ensure the reserve's long-term survival. "For every dollar invested in the reserve, one dollar goes to help the social and economic development of those who live around the reserve," says Gauto. As early as 1988, for example, FMB helped local farmers establish committees, meeting once a month to discuss sustainable farming ideas.

FMB also works to maintain strong relations with the Ache Indians, who, now sedentary, live in two communities near the preserve. For example, FMB helped the indians acquire a 6,600-hectare wooded property to expand their Chupa Po colony. The indians use this property to hunt animals and to plant yerba mate. Complying with Law 112/91, FMB allows the indians to hunt on the Mbaracayu reserve, using their traditional bows and arrows. FMB is also helping the Ache get electricity and build permanent homes.

Infrastructure improvements continue at the reserve. In addition to the five park guard houses, FMB has built a guest house and a scientific laboratory with housing for the scientists. Workers are currently putting finishing touches on a small visitor's center. Many of FMB's employees, now numbering some 50, commute back and forth between Asuncion, Paraguay's capital city, and Mbaracayu. Each week brings a hum of activity as board members, local community members, donors, and scientists from all over the world, come to appreciate and study the reserve's unique natural attributes.

"I feel very happy when I see the reserve...each time, there's a new project that's being launched," said Gustafson.

Previously, more wooded areas surrounded the Mbaracayu Forest preserve, but rapid deforestation has drastically altered the landscape since the original purchase.

"The property boundary where there is forest and where there is not is so dramatic," says board member Diane Espinoza.

FMB has set out to acquire property adjoining the reserve. With funds donated by members of The Nature Conservancy, FMB purchased 4,500 hectares and another 1,300 in 1994 and 1996 respectively.

The Future of the Foundation

Although FMB's top priority has been to acquire and protect the Mbaracayu forest, it has also expanded into other areas. "There is still much to be done," says Espinoza. In just a few short years, "La Fundacion Moises Bertoni" has become a household name in Paraguay. Gauto frequently appears on television and radio programs promoting conservation issues -- unheard of just a few years ago. An active environmental education program reaches out to school children and other important audiences throughout Asuncion. Gauto has inspired many young Paraguayans to enter into conservation careers as FMB's offices overflow with college students who work for the organization during the day and go to school at night. Recently, FMB helped establish a foundation that is working to protect biologically important areas in the now- threatened Paraguayan Chaco, located on the country's western side. FMB also encouraged a group of lawyers to establish an environmental law organization.

In 1989, Gauto won The Nature Conservancy's prestigious John Dunning prize for his work in protecting Mbaracayu. Five years later, FMB won the equally impressive Clifford Messinger award -- also given by The Nature Conservancy - for its work in promoting the conservation of biodiversity in Paraguay. Messinger, an enthusiastic defender of nature, had himself visited Mbaracayu in 1987.

As FMB basks in the success of its efforts with Mbaracayu, Gauto hopes that the reserve can eventually be managed independently so that FMB can focus on other pressing projects. He no longer worries that Mbaracayu will be lost to poachers, squatters or greedy generals.

"It's not ours anymore...its the local villagers, its the indians, and the young people who come from 20 different countries to study, to enjoy and create a mass of its own...I believe its unstoppable by greed or any negative values."

"We are happy with the idea that we have helped create something that will last forever. "

Introduction
The Foundation's Story
Of Bats and Ectoparasites
Learning to Preserve

All Paintings are © COPYRIGHT PROTECTED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW and were provided by The Electric Art Gallery - All Rights Reserved. - Text © Juanita Thigpen, Fundacion Moises Bertoni - OneWorld Magazine is Hosted By The EnviroLink Network - Produced by webStories,Inc. - Copyright © 1996, webStories, Inc. All Rights Reserved.