A two-day participatory workshop took place on March 31 and April 1, 2025, at the Mbaracayú Forest Nature Reserve, managed by the Fundación Moisés Bertoni (link). Located in the northeastern department of Canindeyú, Paraguay, the reserve spans approximately 64,000 hectares of subtropical humid forest. It is one of the last well-preserved remnants of this ecosystem in the country and stands as a key site for conservation in the Atlantic Forest of Alto Paraná (BAAP) region.
The workshop brought together 18 participants from Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, including professionals from leading conservation and research institutions such as Fundación Moisés Bertoni, CONICET (Argentina), UNILA, CONACYT, Guyra Paraguay, and ICMBio. These individuals work on issues at the intersection of conservation and society across the BAAP. Their voluntary participation fostered a space for meaningful exchange and collective reflection on the current state of socio-ecological well-being in the region. The event formed part of the doctoral research of Ahuvit Trumper, focused on socio-ecological well-being within the BAAP region. The research area includes the BAAP and a 50 km buffer zone, encompassing administrative departments with at least 50% of their territory within this range—covering a total of approximately 77.5 million hectares. These boundaries were clearly presented to all participants during the workshop’s introductory session.
This initiative was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Rufford Foundation, whose contribution was essential to organizing and delivering this important collaborative effort in conservation, research, and regional dialogue.