Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve
The Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve is a protected area in Paraguay. It is administered by the Moises Bertoni Foundation.
Location
The Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve protects an area of high, humid subtropical forest in the upper Jejuí Guazú River basin. The reserve is the largest continuous remnant of the Alto Paraná Atlantic forests in Paraguay. It is part of the proposed Trinational Biodiversity Corridor, which aims to provide forest connections between conservation units in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina in the Upper Paraná ecoregion.History
The Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve was established by an agreement among the government of Paraguay, the Moises Bertoni Foundation, UNESCO and The Nature Conservancy. This agreement was ratified in 1991 by Paraguayan National Law 112/91. The reserve was declared a Paraguayan heritage area dedicated in perpetuity to protect the forest, biological diversity and cultural resources, and to promote sustainable economic development. The reserve was submitted to UNESCO on 19 December 2003 as a proposed World Heritage Site.Environment
The Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve is located in an area surrounded by cattle ranches and small farms. The Cordillera de Mbaracayú mountain range crosses the northeastern corner of the reserve. There are many small, deep valleys with waterfalls and streams that feed the Jejuí Guazú River.Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, the Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve has a humid subtropical climate. Temperatures range from in the dry winter to in the wet summer; average annual temperature is. Average annual rainfall is.Flora and fauna
88% of the vegetation consists of riparian forest. The rest is wetland, pasture, lagoon, or cerrado. The area is subject to periodic flooding.Commercially useful plants include Yerba mate, Alsophila atrovirens, Anthurium plowmanii, Aspidosperma polyneuron and Phyrus species. Other plants include Tabebuia species, Cedrela fissilis, Balfourodendron riedelianum, Cordia tricótoma, Piptadenia species and Peltophorum dubium.
Fauna include jaguar, South American tapir, maned wolf, bush dog and other threatened or endangered species, neotropical otter and giant armadillo.
The wetlands harbor yacare caiman and broad-snouted caiman. There are about 20 species of amphibians. There are over 400 species of birds including red-and-green macaw, king vulture, black-fronted piping guan, helmeted woodpecker and bare-throated bellbird. There is great diversity of butterflies and at least 219 species of ants.