How weaving, glamping and kayak tours are helping to tackle deforestation in Argentina’s Gran Chaco

2026-03-25 - 11:10

Small farmers and community-led conservation efforts are trying to protect one of the biggest semi-arid forests in the world – under threat from expanding agriculture, wildfires and the ‘logging mafia’ Jorge Luna stands in a piece of Argentina’s Gran Chaco forest that he calls his own. Birds sing as he surveys skyscraping molle trees, known as pepper trees, palo santo and algorrobo, or carob trees. “It’s good wood,” says Luna, 55. “I was about to cut them down.” Selling timber promises quick and easy money in the sprawling ecosystem that covers parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. But it comes at a steep price, contributing to rampant deforestation and irreversible damage to the forest. Continue reading...