San Rafael

San Rafael is one of the best remaining patches of Atlantic Forest in Paraguay. The status of the area is uncertain after the process of declaring the area a National Park was abandoned. A core area of San Rafael has been purchased by WLT partners Guyra Paraguay, and is now well protected. This region consists of a mosaic of standing forest, natural grassland and artificially cleared paddocks. These paddocks were previously sown with exotic forage grass, which when left ungrazed grew tall and was highly susceptible to fire. Regular burning of these paddocks inhibited the natural regeneration of forest. The programme in this area focuses on relieving fire pressure, and assisting the re-establishment of Atlantic Forest species with enrichment planting.

 

In 2006-2007, work focused on regenerating 3 paddocks over a 12 hectare area, through regular clearing of vegetation combined with the planting of 12,000 trees. 17 native tree species were identified from the surrounding forest for planting, and seedlings were produced in a village nursery. In 2008, work shifted to a 50 hectare area. It was discovered that by removing fire pressure, a rich variety of tree species were able to grow in this part of the forest. 60,000 trees have since been liberated in this area.