Argentine judge halts deforestation of Chaco forest in rare move

An Argentine federal judge on Monday ordered a three-month suspension of deforestation in the northern Chaco province, a rare move to protect one of the world’s fastest-growing forest ecosystems being destroyed to make way for farmland.

The unusual but not unprecedented move, which was officially announced on the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s website, follows an investigation into an alleged public-private corruption scandal involving both businessmen and local officials who profited from illegal land development.

The Chaco Province is part of the American Gran Chaco, the largest forest area in South America after the Amazon, and extends across Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil. It has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world.

This dry forest ecosystem is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including jaguars, foxes, wolves, ocelots, tapirs, armadillos, capybaras and pumas.

The Public Prosecution Service is investigating former and current local administrators and large companies, particularly in the grain sector, for making illegal profits, abuse of power and failing to fulfil the duties of government officials.

“The judge has ordered the complete suspension of logging in the Chaco province,” said Enrique Viale, president of the Argentine Association of Environmental Lawyers (AAdeAA), which filed the original complaint.

“This will ensure that no damage is done to the environment while the research is being conducted. We will continue until we dismantle this land clearing mafia and stop deforestation.”

The main economic activities of the Chaco province, which has an area of ​​approximately 100,000 square kilometers (24.7 million hectares), are forestry, soy and cattle farming, cotton production, fuelwood and tanning.

The Chaco government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to data from the NGO Fundación Vida Silvestre (Forest Protection Foundation), despite Argentina’s forest protection law, 30% of the Gran Chaco’s forests have been lost. Between 2007 and 2021, 76% of deforestation occurred illegally.

An aerial view shows forested and deforested areas, near Las Lomitas, in Formosa, Argentina, April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File photo Cattle rest on a barren patch of land near Las Lomitas, in Formosa, Argentina, April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File photo A horse swims in the Banado La Estrella, in Formosa, Argentina, April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File photo Cattle graze on land near Las Lomitas, in Formosa, Argentina, April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File photo A bird flies over the Bermejo River at Las Lomitas, in Formosa, Argentina, April 18, 2023. The Gran Chaco is under increasing pressure as large-scale farms producing soy and cattle expand to meet global food demand. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File photo