Yande Yarɨ: New Guaraní-led Protected Area Safeguards Bolivia’s Threatened Chaco

Over 1.3 million acres of threatened Chaco ecosystems are now protected with the establishment of the Parapetí River and Isoso Wetlands Integrated Management and Connectivity Area known in the Guaraní language as “Yande Yarɨ” which translates to “our grandmother”. The protected area was established on April 30, 2025 by the Autonomous Indigenous Government of Charagua Iyambae. Located in the southern portion of Bolivia’s Santa Cruz Department, Yande Yarɨ protects 1,389,945 acres (562,491 hectares) of biodiverse Chaco forests, wetlands, and a significant portion of the Parapetí river basin, home to the endangered Chacoan peccary, giant armadillo, and jaguar, among other species. These forests were threatened by severe deforestation caused by the expansion of the agricultural frontier prior to the area’s establishment. The establishment of Yande Yarɨ contributes to a biocultural corridor in the Bolivian Chaco that helps to safeguard biodiversity and Indigenous Guaraní culture.

Protecting Chaco Forests, the Isoso Wetlands, and the Lower Parapetí Basin

Yande Yarɨ contains the Isoso wetlands Ramsar site, which is a valuable wetland in the middle of Bolivia’s dry Chaco. These wetlands define the distribution limits of mammals restricted to the boreal Chaco as they are a primary water source during the dry season and host species from neighboring ecoregions such as from the Chiquitania and the Andes.

The Guaraní communities have historically traveled and inhabited the lands of Yande Yarɨ and through their harmonious relationship with nature have ensured the good conservation status of its ecosystems. Thousands of people depend on the lower Parapetí River Basin’s waters for their livelihoods. By protecting the lower Parapetí, Yande Yarɨ is protecting the beating heart of a region where water security is of extreme importance.

The Isoso wetlands are a focal point for large mammal populations, as they are the only source of water during the dry season in the midst of extensive dry tropical forests. They are also of high seasonal importance for the fauna of the surrounding ecosystems, as a mating and feeding site as well as a migratory refuge for threatened biodiversity. These include the endangered Chacoan peccary (Parachoerus wagneri), the vulnerable giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), southern three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus), jaguar (Panthera onca), and South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris).

Yande Yarɨ’s Origins

The collective process of establishing the protected area represents the Guaraní people’s worldview and includes a local conservation model based on traditional land stewardship practices. Charagua Iyambae is the first Autonomous Indigenous Government to be established in Bolivia and its history is marked by the defense of territory and nature, which includes the historic recognition of Kaa Iya National Park. This new step — the protection of Yande Yarɨ — is part of the process of self-determination for the Guaraní people and their homeland.

There are various environmental threats coming from outside of the protected territory including extensive deforestation of the Chaco forests and pollution by pesticides of the Parapetí River from the expansion of industrial agriculture, as well as extreme drought caused by a changing climate affecting livelihoods, biodiversity, and water sources. 

The Autonomous Indigenous Government of Charagua Iyambae established Yande Yarɨ in what they called a cultural and spiritual declaration of ecological protection for our planet. Starting in 2022, the Indigenous Guaraní leaders of Parapitiguasu and Alto and Bajo Isoso undertook a collective process to create an Indigenous protected area to care for the Parapetí River and the Isoso Wetlands. The establishment of Yande Yarɨ is the result of this effort.

Throughout this process, Guaraní women have been steadfast protagonists. Collectively they have declared that “Water is life, the river is our mother, Yarɨ is our way of being and living as Guaraní in this land, it is part of our culture.” For Yande Yarɨ’s protection, these women led dialogues envisioning the future and making decisions for their homeland. For the Guaraní, Yande Yarɨ is the guardian of the Parapetí River, the mythical owner of the water, the soul of the wetland, and the sacred voice of the river.

Andes Amazon Fund partner Fundación Natura Bolivia supported the Charagua Iyambae Autonomous Indigenous Government alongside hundreds of community members in the process of participatory consultation, reflection, and forming the collective vision for the establishment of this protected area. 

The management of this protected area will focus on preserving and strengthening the cultural values of the Guaraní, conserving Chaco ecosystems and endangered wildlife, and developing non-timber forest activities such as beekeeping and cultivating medicinal mistol trees (Ziziphus mistol) and carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua). Mitigating threats posed by deforestation outside of the protected area as well as restoring any degraded forests within it is also a critical focus.

Ecological Connectivity

In addition to reinforcing well-needed protection in the Bolivian Chaco, the establishment of Yande Yarɨ contributes to a wildlife corridor that spans 13,583,369 acres ​​(5,496,994 hectares) of protected areas in Bolivia. The ecological connectivity achieved through Yande Yarɨ’s establishment enables migration and reproduction of species from the dry Chaco forests in Yande Yarɨ up to the humid Andes mountains. It also protects the connectivity of the Parapetí River and its linkages with the Isoso Wetlands. Adjacent protected areas forming the corridor include: the Irenda Municipal Conservation Area, the Guajukaka Life Area, Kaa Iya National Park, and the Bañados del Isoso Ramsar site. These areas connect with 10 subnational protected areas in surrounding municipalities and to Iñao National Park located in Bolivia’s Department of Chiquisaca.

Acknowledgements:

This accomplishment was made possible by the Autonomous Indigenous Government of Charagua Iyambae with technical support from Fundación Natura Bolivia and financial contributions from Andes Amazon Fund, Rainforest Trust, World Land Trust, Re:wild, Bezos Earth Fund, and Pew Charitable Trusts. Andes Amazon Fund’s financial support for this project was generously provided by the Wyss Foundation.