And The Story of Its Success
Mbaracayu, an Atlantic inland forest which once was connected to
the Amazon, is 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. An island in a sea
of deforastation affecting the
South American forests, this land had
become the property of the International Finance Coorporation (IFC),
as a result of the bankrupcy of a plywood mill operator who had
used the forest as collateral.
In 1988,
Fundacion Moises Bertoni (FMB), a
In a society which lacked a philanthropic tradition and interest
in the environment,in a country governed by one of the
longest-lasting and most corrupt military dictatorships in world history
where environmental issues were consistently being ignored, FMB's executive
Gauto himself 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 for its work in promoting the conservation of biodiversity in Paraguay. Against all odds, the Fundacion Bertoni feels assured that "they have helped to create something that will last forever."
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private non-profit foundation established to raise the funds and
awareness needed to acquire the property, was finally able to purchase
the 58,000 hectare area which they renamed the Mbaracayu Forest Reserve.
director, Raul Gauto, and his allies had the conviction to
fight the uphill battle to save this land and succeed.
