The Por los Bosques coalition, made up of nearly 80 civil society organizations and companies, launched the #LosMédanosNoSeTocan campaign, with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of conserving the Médanos del Chaco National Park, which is currently in danger , due to the existence of a project in the National Congress that intends to modify the law to allow activities of prospecting, exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons within the area of the park.
This campaign is carried out through an alliance of the #PorLosBosques coalition and Shopping Mariscal to achieve an impact on people and that they can help collect signatures in favor of the rejection of the bill “Which modifies articles 4 and 6 of Law No. 5,723/2016, which declares a protected wilderness area under public domain to the Médanos del Chaco National Park”. All senators and Senate committees considering this bill are asked to reject the amendments.
In his letter addressed to the senators of the Nation, the #PorLosBosques coalition warned that the approval of this law would represent a serious setback in terms of environmental protection including the international commitments assumed by Paraguay in various conferences of member countries. Médanos del Chaco is a sensitive ecosystem and could be lost due to human intervention.
The Médanos del Chaco National Park (PNMdCh) is the ancestral territory of families of the Ayoreo People in isolation. This NP houses the source of the Timane River, vital for the life of the Alto Chaco and the different productive systems. It is the only protected area that protects this peculiar ecosystem in Paraguay, of vital importance for the survival of hundreds of species of fauna and flora, many only present in the area. It is a key area for the population of the jaguar (Panthera onca), a species protected by law, and the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), the only camelid that is distributed in our country and a species that moves between the borders of Paraguay and Bolivia.
Also read: Forest Restoration: it will imply an agreement of all sectors that transcends governments
Médanos is a site of global and regional importance that protects the confined freshwater aquifer, the Yrenda Aquifer. It is an important core area of the Chaco Biosphere Reserve in Paraguay, which is recognized by UNESCO and has several archaeological and historical sites.
The press conference was held on November 29, International Day of the Jaguar (Panthera onca), with the aim of raising awareness about the threats facing this species protected by law and that inhabits the Médanos del Chaco and is in danger of extinction.
People interested in supporting this initiative can do so by signing the petition through the change.org platform The deadline to gather signatures is December 15, since the National Congress will later enter the parliamentary recess stage. You can also visit the exhibition until tomorrow, Wednesday, November 30, at Shopping Mariscal, first level-block A
