The Gran Chaco: A Biocultural Frontier Under Threat
The Gran Chaco of northern Argentina is one of South America's most threatened forest ecosystems. Around Tartagal, in Salta Province, the dry Chaco forest meets the Yungas foothills, creating a vital ecological transition zone connecting Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. This region is both a critical biological corridor and a cultural crossroads—home to more than nine Indigenous nations whose lives, languages, and territories face aggressive deforestation, land degradation, and climate vulnerability.
For the Wichí communities, the forest is survival itself: food, medicine, shelter, memory, spirituality, and identity. When trees fall, communities lose far more than timber—they lose their living pharmacy, food sovereignty, and ancestral knowledge systems passed down through generations.
From Documentation to Deep Partnership
I'm Martin Kraft, a visual anthropologist and filmmaker. My relationship with the Wichí communities began through years of fieldwork—listening, walking the territory, and filming stories. That documentation evolved into something deeper: helping build an alliance supporting the communities' own vision for ecological and cultural regeneration. Alianza Wichí was born from this commitment.
Scaling Indigenous-Led Restoration
Over 18 months, we'll strengthen an Indigenous-led restoration network across Tartagal. By merging ancestral wisdom with agroecology, local coordinators will identify degraded areas, recover native seeds, and manage nurseries. Forty-five young Indigenous leaders will be trained as community technicians, ensuring long-term autonomy.
Our targets: 2 community nurseries, 8 agroforestry systems, 10 seed banks, and 450+ families gaining climate resilience and food security.
We're scaling what already works. Join us in this critical moment.
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