Paraguay: A Call to Protect Uncontacted Ayoreo

Deusdedit Ruhangariyo

Special to ICT

Credit: House of uncontacted Ayoreo, discovered when road was bulldozed through their land. The next day the bulldozer returned and flattened the house.

PARAGUAY: Shrinking Gran Chaco

Deforestation in Paraguay’s Gran Chaco, driven by agribusiness and infrastructure projects, threatens the Indigenous Ayoreo people. Many live in isolation, at risk of losing their land and traditions while facing exposure to deadly diseases, experts warn, Mongabay reported on March 21.

A global coalition of Indigenous rights advocates is urging the Paraguayan government and international community to take stronger action. In February, the International Working Group for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact visited northern Paraguay to assess the situation. The findings were alarming. 

“At any moment, our Ayoreo brothers and sisters in isolation are going to come out,” said Rocío Picaneré of the Ayoreo Native Council of Eastern Bolivia. “And why is this happening? Because we treat the forest like a supermarket, and the forest is being cleared every day.”

The International Working Group for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact, comprising 21 Indigenous and civil society organizations, focuses on threats to uncontacted peoples in the Amazon, Brazilian Cerrado, and Gran Chaco. The Gran Chaco spans about 65 million hectares (160 million acres) across Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia. It is South America’s second-largest forest and has experienced severe deforestation, losing 5.3 million hectares (13.1 million acres) from 2001 to 2021.

The Ayoreo, living semi-nomadically in the Paraguayan and Bolivian Gran Chaco, are believed to be the last uncontacted people in South America outside the Amazon. Their last known contact with outsiders was in 2004, when 17 Ayoreo-Totobiegosode were forced from the forest due to encroaching cattle ranching. In 2021, some secretly met with relatives, expressing concern over rapid deforestation.

The International Working Group for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact warned that more Ayoreo may soon emerge unless deforestation stops. The territory they inhabit once exceeded 1.1 million hectares (2.7 million acres) but has drastically shrunk. “We’re trying to defend the life and food of our brothers and sisters, who are still maintaining their natural way of life in the forest,” said Tagüide Picanerai of the Payipie Ichadie Totobiegosode Organization. “We’re calling attention to this and urge the authorities to help us.”

The coalition urged Paraguay to reassess land-use policies and the impact of agrochemicals on Indigenous communities. Pesticides and fertilizers contaminate drinking water and harm wildlife. Additionally, road construction projects, including the 2,200-km (1,360-mi) Bi-Oceanic Corridor and a 220-km (137-mi) highway connecting Bolivia and Paraguay, could further disrupt the region. “The deforestation from construction is only a small part of the profound changes [roads] will bring,” stated the International Working Group for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact.

The uncontacted Ayoreo lack immunity to common diseases. In 1989, after missionaries forcibly brought several Ayoreo out of isolation, many died from a tuberculosis-like lung disease. Similar illnesses affected those who emerged in 2004. The International Working Group for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact warned Paraguay lacks the resources to handle potential health crises if more Ayoreo make contact.

The Paraguayan Indigenous Institute, responsible for Indigenous affairs, declined to comment. The Ayoreo began negotiating for land titles and protections in 2016 but abandoned talks in 2021 due to a lack of progress. That same year, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights urged Paraguay to halt deforestation and prevent outsiders from entering Ayoreo land. However, most measures remain unimplemented.

The International Working Group for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact called for urgent action. “We raise our alarm at the magnitude of the loss of the Chaco forests and their cultures and call for urgent action to safeguard the rights of the Indigenous population and recover the lost forests.”

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