As Wildfires Intensify, Indigenous Leaders Protect One of the World’s Last Intact Dry Forests

As wildfires intensify worldwide, the need to protect forests and other intact ecosystems has never been more urgent. In Bolivia’s Gran Chaco, the Indigenous Autonomous Government of Charagua Iyambae is leading a powerful conservation effort in the protected area of Ñembi Guasu, whose name means “Great Refuge” in the Guaraní language.

Managed by the Guaraní people and spanning nearly 3 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone National Park—Ñembi Guasu is Bolivia’s first and largest Indigenous-governed conservation area and among the most expansive intact dry forests remaining on Earth.

The broader Gran Chaco area stretches across Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay and is the world’s biggest tropical dry forest and the second-largest forest ecosystem in the Americas after the Amazon. Yet it faces growing threats from deforestation, land conversion, and increasingly intense wildfires. Protecting the area’s forests is vital for biodiversity, carbon storage, and climate resilience. These forests provide critical habitat for species such as jaguars, Chacoan peccaries, and giant anteaters, while safeguarding the territories of Ayoreo communities and other Indigenous peoples.

The United Nations warns that extreme wildfires will continue to increase in number and severity in the coming decades. As fire threats grow throughout South America and beyond, Indigenous-led conservation efforts can help protect nature and strengthen resilience.

This video chronicles the Guaraní people’s ongoing efforts and commitment to protect one of the world’s most vital forests.