Largest remnant of Alto Paraná Atlantic forest in Paraguay, protecting subtropical wilderness in the Upper Paraná ecoregion.
Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve
The Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve is a large protected area in eastern Paraguay, preserving a major surviving block of the Alto Paraná Atlantic forests within the upper Jejuí Guazú River basin. It is classified as an IUCN Category II protected area, equivalent in status to a national park, and is administered by the Moisés Bertoni Foundation. With an extent of more than 64,000 hectares, the reserve represents the largest continuous remnant of this once widespread forest ecosystem still standing in Paraguay.
The landscape combines humid subtropical forest, riparian corridors, small valleys with waterfalls, and parts of the Cordillera de Mbaracayú range in its northeastern section. It lies at the heart of efforts to connect forest conservation areas across Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina through the proposed Trinational Biodiversity Corridor. Recognized for both its ecological value and its cultural significance, the reserve was submitted to UNESCO as a proposed World Heritage Site in 2003.
Wildlife is one of the reserve's most compelling features, with over 400 recorded bird species and populations of large mammals such as jaguar, South American tapir, maned wolf, and giant armadillo. Surrounded largely by cattle ranches and small farms, Mbaracayú functions as a critical refuge for forest-dependent species and as a center for biodiversity research, sustainable development, and environmental education in the region.
