Announcements
Announcements
The Chaco region, home to the greatest diversity of indigenous groups in Paraguay, has recently seen some of the world’s highest deforestation rates. Soybean production may be exacerbating the deforestation. This article investigates the factors driving the expansion of soybean production sites.
The authors find that roughly 742,000 ha in the Paraguayan Chaco are suitable for soybean frontier expansion with an additional 940,000 ha moderately suitable for expansion. Agricultural technology and land price appreciation are identified as the main drivers of soybean expansion in the region.
However, infrastructure investments are set to further drive soybean expansion and connect the region via the multi-national Corredor-Bioceánico “bi-oceanic corridor” road project. The continued rapid development of this fragile landscape could transform the Paraguayan Chaco into a major South American logistics hub for soybean and other agricultural production. Without appropriate governance systems in place, this development could lead to irreversible large-scale damage to the socio-environmental systems, similar to boom dynamics seen in other South American frontiers.
Journal article / A study in PNAS finds that drought and fires led to the death of 2.5 billion plants in a region that represents 1.2% of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest.
Perspective / This World Water Day, SEI Scientist Doug Chalmers reflects on how science supports conflict resolution around one of the planet's most precious resources: water
Media coverage / SEI's partnership with a university in Argentina allows people to explore the intersections of fracking and local water supply with virtual reality.
Design and development by Soapbox.
