Reconciliation of cattle ranching with biodiversity and social inclusion objectives in large private properties in Paraguay and collective indigenous lands in Bolivia

Livestock ranching is one of the most important economic activities of the planet but is also associated with negative environmental impacts. Ranching can also exacerbate social inequality by displacing vulnerable rural populations from access to land and decisions over land use. The large-scale ranching typical of the Paraguayan Chaco, and the small scale ranching typical of northwestern Bolivia, represent two contrasting cases of livestock expansion in Latin America. These two distinct contexts are used to evaluate best practices for sustainable ranching at different scales. In particular, how ranching practices can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Technical assistance was provided to both the large private ranchers as well as to the indigenous communities focusing on pasture cultivation and management, recovery of native pastures, rotational grazing, improved fire management through the use of burn calendars and no burn zones. The success of these interventions in reducing forest loss was measured by evaluating the increase in carrying capacity, considered synonymous with stocking rates in Paraguay and hrough measurement of above green matter. Success in improving animal health and reproductive output was monitored through interviews and periodic blood and fecal sample analysis. Interviews were also carried out to evaluate mitigation of conflicts between carnivores and livestock. The impact of interventions to promote participation and equity was evaluated using complementarity of planning instruments with indigenous territorial plans and indigenous population size.