Located in the heart of the Argentinian Chaco, the El Impenetrable National Park was created in 2014 as a result of a joint effort between the Chaco Province, the National Parks Administration, the Rewilding Argentina Foundation and the local community.
Since then, it has become a living conservation laboratory, where extinct species have been reintroduced, native fauna has been recovered, training programs have been promoted, and tourism ventures have been developed positioning the inhabitants as protagonists of change.
Rewilding in action: species returning to the Chaco forest
The evolution of the park has exceeded all expectations. Today, a pair of jaguars have had offspring in the wild, and the yabotí turtles, the largest in South America, already exceed 70 specimens. The native fauna reproduces in a safe environment, where the Chaco forest beats strongly again.
At the beginning of the project in 2017, it was important to have a presence in the area, where gunshots from hunters could still be heard. Today, the landscape is different, it is common to see tapirs, peccaries, deer, and monkeys just a few meters away, relaxed.
From hunters to guides: the change is also social
The local community is reconverted and leads the touristic development with a Chaco identity.
The impact of the park is not limited to biodiversity. Cerón highlights that the inhabitants have begun to value the forest, and many former hunters are now tour guides, conserving their own lands. “We see improvements in the roads, electricity arrives, there is growth and an improvement in quality of life,” he asserts.
The touristic development includes glampings, campgrounds managed by local associations, community dining areas, and local gastronomic services, generating genuine employment and strengthening the bond between nature and the regional economy.
Next challenges of the El Impenetrable National Park: more species, more resilience
Among the next steps, the reintroduction of the guanaco, a herbivore that inhabited the region, and the return of the giant otter, top predator of the Chaco rivers are projected.
These species will help restore ecological balance and expand the biological diversity of the park.
An expanding biodiversity sanctuary
The park protects an area of 128,000 hectares, which includes forests of carob trees, quebrachos, and palo santo, grasslands, wetlands, and lagoons, and is home to emblematic species such as the armadillo, the giant anteater, the tapir, the maned wolf, and the jaguar.
Its growth as a tourist destination generates job opportunities, promotes environmental education, and demonstrates that it is possible to progress hand in hand with nature and not at its expense.
