AGP Executive Report

Super El Niño Impacts: Paraguay’s weather agency confirmed a weekend heatwave that shattered a 74-year temperature record across more than a dozen localities, with Mariscal Estigarribia in the Chaco hitting 43.8°C. Storm Damage: A powerful storm with winds up to 90 km/h left at least 4,000 families affected and damaged homes, power infrastructure and crops in Caaguazú, San Pedro and Cordillera. Biodiversity & Forests: A Paraguayan enterprise is exploring new conservation finance options tied to the Atlantic Forest, where San Rafael remains a key biodiversity area—supporting hundreds of bird species and helping regulate water and store carbon. Wildlife Conservation: Paraguay marks Latin American Bat Day with renewed momentum for bat conservation, using Guaraní identity to rebuild the national programme and connect it to regional science networks. Sustainable Procurement: Paraguay’s public procurement agency DNCP improved tracking of sustainable public procurement by adding sustainability clauses into e-government bidding and measuring uptake via an internal dashboard. Climate Risk for Children: UNICEF warns El Niño-linked rainfall extremes put 25.8 million children across Latin America and the Caribbean at very high risk, with Paraguay in the wider regional exposure picture.

El Niño impacts Paraguay: A severe storm linked to El Niño hit central, northern and eastern Paraguay, damaging homes, power lines and crops in Caaguazú, San Pedro and Cordillera, with authorities reporting about 4,000 families affected and a preliminary 20,000 people impacted. Heat records in the Chaco: Paraguay also logged an extreme heatwave, with more than a dozen localities breaking historic daily maximum temperature records, including 43.8°C in Mariscal Estigarribia—an all-time high after 74 years. Biodiversity and conservation: Paraguay’s San Rafael landscape in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest—now a key biodiversity area and part of a national park reserve—highlights ongoing habitat loss pressures and the need for stronger protection and enforcement. Wildlife spotlight: Paraguay marked Latin American Bat Day with renewed bat-conservation work, using the Guaraní “mbopi” to build public identity and support for the program. Sustainability in procurement: Paraguay’s DNCP improved tracking of sustainable public procurement, using structured data from e-government tenders to measure uptake of sustainability clauses across thousands of awards. Climate risk for children: UNICEF warned that 25.8 million children across Latin America and the Caribbean face very high risks from El Niño-linked rainfall extremes, underscoring the stakes for water, food and health services.

El Niño and heat impacts: Paraguay’s weather service confirmed a weekend heatwave that shattered a 74-year temperature record across more than a dozen localities, with Mariscal Estigarribia in the Chaco reaching 43.8°C. Super El Niño storms: A powerful storm with winds up to 90 km/h left at least 4,000 families affected and damaged homes, power lines and crops in Caaguazú, San Pedro and Cordillera. Climate risk for children: UNICEF warned that 25.8 million children across Latin America and the Caribbean face very high El Niño-related risks from rainfall deficits or excess rainfall, threatening food, safe water, health care and education. Biodiversity and conservation: Paraguay’s San Rafael landscape in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest is highlighted as a key biodiversity area, but enforcement and funding gaps leave the protected area vulnerable. Sustainable procurement: Paraguay’s public procurement agency DNCP improved tracking of sustainable public procurement by adding sustainability clauses into e-GP and building a dashboard to measure uptake, identifying over 10,000 sustainability clauses in two years. Wildlife spotlight: Paraguay’s bat conservation programme is gaining momentum ahead of Latin America’s Bat Day, using local identity to rebuild outreach and research networks.

Heat and storms hit Paraguay: Paraguay’s weather service confirmed a 74-year temperature record after extreme heat across more than a dozen localities, with Mariscal Estigarribia in the Chaco reaching 43.8°C. Disaster response: A severe storm with winds up to 90 km/h left at least 4,000 families affected and damaged homes, power lines, and crops in Caaguazú, San Pedro, and Cordillera. El Niño risk for children: UNICEF warns 25.8 million children across Latin America and the Caribbean face very high El Niño-related risks from rainfall deficits or excess, with impacts on food, safe water, health care, and education. Biodiversity spotlight: Paraguay’s Bat Day coverage highlights the work of the Bat Conservation Programme, using the Guaraní “mbopi” to build public support for bat protection. Protected areas: San Rafael, a key Atlantic Forest fragment, is described as vital for water regulation, carbon storage, and rare birdlife—while enforcement and funding remain weak. Sustainable procurement: Paraguay’s DNCP improved tracking of sustainable public procurement through structured e-procurement data and dashboards, identifying 10,000+ sustainability clauses in tenders over two years. Civic space: A UN Human Rights Council statement says Paraguay has only partially implemented civic-space recommendations and warns about laws that could restrict civil society work.

Heatwave & climate extremes: Paraguay shattered a 74-year temperature record across more than a dozen localities, with the Chaco’s Mariscal Estigarribia hitting 43.8°C, underscoring how fast conditions are shifting. Storm impacts: A severe storm with winds up to 90 km/h left thousands of families affected in central, northern and eastern Paraguay, damaging homes, power lines and crops in Caaguazú, San Pedro and Cordillera. Biodiversity & conservation finance: A Paraguayan enterprise is exploring new conservation finance options tied to the Atlantic Forest, where enforcement gaps threaten key habitats like San Rafael. Wildlife spotlight: Paraguay’s Bat Day coverage highlights the work of the Bat Conservation Programme of Paraguay, using the Guaraní “mbopi” to build public support for bat conservation. Protected areas & recognition: Tost, Toson Bumba Mountain Nature Reserve received UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status, reflecting growing momentum for biosphere protection and sustainable tourism. Civic space & environment governance: Paraguay’s civic space concerns were raised in a UN Human Rights Council update, including worries that new rules could restrict civil society oversight—an issue that can affect environmental accountability. Waste crackdown in Asunción: Asunción launched a new phase of its Zero Illegal Dumping effort, targeting more than 100 known dumping sites and aiming to restore areas near Laguna Las Garzas.

Conservation Finance & Atlantic Forest: A Paraguayan enterprise is exploring new ways to fund conservation in the Atlantic Forest, spotlighting how private action can support biodiversity and long-term ecosystem protection. Protected Areas & Biodiversity: Caazapá National Park is featured in a new “Into the Wild” series stop, highlighting Atlantic Forest habitat and toucans. Illegal Dumping Crackdown: Asunción launched a new phase of its Vertedero Clandestino Cero effort, targeting more than 100 illegal dumping sites and aiming to restore areas near Laguna Las Garzas in the Banco San Miguel and Bahía de Asunción Ecological Reserve. Forests & Restoration: A major FAO report argues that forest and landscape restoration is key for food security, biodiversity and climate resilience, calling for more investment and better governance. Climate Risk—El Niño: NOAA forecasts El Niño could peak in December with ocean warming up to 2.7°C, raising the odds of extreme weather across the region. Sustainable Forestry Investment: J.P. Morgan and Paraguay announced a $200 million sustainable forestry platform, tying finance to landscape and forest management. UNESCO Biosphere: Tost, Toson Bumba Nature Reserve received UNESCO Biosphere status, underscoring the growing push for protected-area sustainability. Beef Exports: President Peña said the US is seeking more Paraguayan beef, though Paraguay still lacks a dedicated US import quota.

El Niño Warning for the Region: NOAA forecasts El Niño will peak in December, with ocean temperatures possibly reaching up to 2.7°C—raising the risk of floods and droughts across the Americas, and putting children especially in the spotlight. Yacyretá Hydrology Watch: Paraguay and neighbors are preparing for higher river inflows tied to El Niño/“Super Niño,” with Yacyretá monitoring rainfall and flows—though more water may not automatically mean more electricity generation. Asunción Tackles Illegal Dumping: The capital launched a new phase of Vertedero Clandestino Cero, targeting more than 100 illegal dumping sites; one cleanup near Laguna Las Garzas aims to restore land that sits within the Banco San Miguel and Bahía de Asunción Ecological Reserve. Protected Nature Spotlight: Caazapá National Park gets featured in a new “Into the Wild” series, highlighting Atlantic Forest habitat and toucans. Biodiversity Finance Move: J.P. Morgan and Paraguay announced a $200 million sustainable forestry investment platform. Civic Space Under Pressure: Paraguay’s civic space record came under scrutiny at the UN Human Rights Council, with concerns about laws that could restrict civil society. Energy Forum in Asunción: Energías Paraguay 2026 will bring public and private players together to discuss fuels, biofuels, renewables, and electric mobility.

Illegal Dumping Crackdown in Asunción: Asunción launched a new phase of its Vertedero Clandestino Cero operation, targeting more than 100 known illegal dumping sites, with the latest cleanup near Laguna Las Garzas in Banco San Miguel—an area inside the Banco San Miguel and Bahía de Asunción Ecological Reserve—where recovered land is planned to become a community football pitch. Protected Areas & Biodiversity Spotlight: A new “Into the Wild” feature takes readers to Caazapá National Park, highlighting Paraguay’s Atlantic Forest habitat and its toucans, tapirs, giant anteaters, and rich birdlife. Sustainable Forestry Investment: JP Morgan Natural Capital and Paraguay’s government announced a $200 million sustainable forestry platform aimed at commercial forests, native restoration, and potential revenue via timber and carbon credits. Energy Transition Forum: Energías Paraguay 2026 (Oct 1, Asunción) will bring together public authorities and industry to discuss biofuels, renewables, electric mobility, and how service stations can adapt to changing fuel markets. Community Recycling & Youth: Cateura’s Recycled Orchestra continues touring, turning landfill waste into instruments and using music to support young people while spotlighting waste-to-value.

Protected Areas & Biodiversity: Paraguay’s Caazapá National Park gets spotlight in a new “Into the Wild” series, highlighting Atlantic Forest habitat and toucans, while Asunción pushes conservation on the ground by targeting illegal dumping near Laguna Las Garzas inside the Banco San Miguel and Bahía de Asunción Ecological Reserve. Civic Space & Rights: At the UN Human Rights Council, CIVICUS and Alma Cívica say Paraguay has only partially implemented civic-space recommendations and warn that Law 7363/2024 could restrict civil society work. UNESCO Recognition: Tost, Toson Bumba Mountain Nature Reserve receives UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status, underscoring the value of protected-area governance and sustainable tourism. Sustainable Forestry Investment: JP Morgan Natural Capital and Paraguay announce a $200M sustainable forestry platform, aiming at native forest restoration, commercial forests, and potential carbon-market revenue. Waste-to-Value Culture: Cateura’s Recycled Orchestra tours abroad, turning landfill waste into instruments and spotlighting how circular reuse can create opportunity. Energy Transition: Energías Paraguay 2026 convenes in Asunción to discuss biofuels, renewables, electric mobility, and service-station business shifts. Food & Trade Pressure: President Peña says the US is turning to Paraguayan beef as domestic prices rise, but Paraguay still lacks a dedicated US import quota.

Illegal Dumping Crackdown: Asunción launched a new phase of its Vertedero Clandestino Cero operation, targeting more than 100 illegal dumping sites, with a fresh cleanup near Laguna Las Garzas in Banco San Miguel and plans to turn the restored area into a community football pitch inside the Banco San Miguel and Bahía de Asunción Ecological Reserve. Biodiversity Spotlight: A new “Into the Wild” series from The Asunción Times begins with Caazapá National Park, highlighting Atlantic Forest habitat and Paraguay’s toucans, plus dozens of other species and the park’s lesser-known conservation story. Climate & Water Watch: Yacyretá officials say El Niño/“Super Niño” conditions could keep rainfall above usual levels into early 2027, potentially doubling Paraná River inflows while also stressing that more water doesn’t automatically mean more electricity generation. Sustainable Forestry Investment: JP Morgan Natural Capital and Paraguay’s government announced a ~$200 million sustainable forestry platform aimed at commercial forests, native restoration, and revenue via timber and carbon credits. Energy Forum: Energías Paraguay 2026 will bring fuels, biofuels, electricity, renewables, and electric mobility discussions to Asunción on Oct. 1. Circular Economy & Youth: Cateura’s Recycled Orchestra continues touring, turning landfill waste into instruments and using music to open futures for kids from the city’s most vulnerable areas.

Protected Areas Spotlight: A new “Into the Wild” series starts in Caazapá National Park, highlighting Paraguay’s Atlantic Forest and its toucans, tapirs, giant anteaters and rich birdlife. Urban Cleanup: Asunción launches a new phase of its Vertedero Clandestino Cero drive, targeting more than 100 illegal dumping sites, including a cleanup near Laguna Las Garzas that could later become a community football pitch inside the Banco San Miguel and Bahía de Asunción Ecological Reserve. Climate & Water Watch: Yacyretá warns El Niño/“Super Niño” rains could push Paraná River inflows to double historical averages, with monitoring and possible spillway releases to manage flood risk—though more water won’t automatically mean more electricity. Forestry & Carbon Finance: JP Morgan Natural Capital and Paraguay’s government announce a $200 million sustainable forestry platform aimed at native restoration, commercial forests, and revenue streams like timber and carbon credits. Biodiversity/Restoration Policy: FAO’s State of the World’s Forests 2026 argues forest and landscape restoration is key for food security, biodiversity and climate goals, calling for rights-based, landscape-scale action and sustained investment. Community & Waste-to-Value: Cateura’s Recycled Orchestra tours abroad, turning landfill trash into instruments and opportunity for youth. Energy Sector Event: Energías Paraguay 2026 brings fuel, biofuels, renewables and grid/payment discussions to Asunción on Oct. 1.

Illegal dumping crackdown in Asunción: The city launched a new phase of “Vertedero Clandestino Cero,” targeting more than 100 known illegal waste sites, with a fresh cleanup near Laguna Las Garzas in Banco San Miguel and plans to eventually turn recovered land into a community football pitch inside the Banco San Miguel and Bahía de Asunción Ecological Reserve. Climate and water risk for Yacyretá: Paraguay and the Paraná basin are bracing for “Super Niño” conditions, with forecasts of rainfall that could double river inflows; Yacyretá says extra water may require controlled releases to manage downstream flood peaks, even if it doesn’t automatically boost electricity generation. Sustainable forestry investment: JP Morgan Natural Capital and Paraguay announced a roughly $200 million sustainable forestry platform at the Paraguay Investment Forum, aiming for commercial forests, native restoration, and revenue via timber and carbon credits. Energy sector forum: Energías Paraguay 2026 will bring fuel, biofuels, electricity and renewables discussions to Asunción on Oct. 1, including how service stations and payment systems are adapting to the energy transition. Waste-to-music in Cateura: The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura is touring abroad, turning landfill trash into instruments and spotlighting how waste can be repurposed into opportunity.

Illegal Dumping Crackdown: Asunción launched a new phase of its Vertedero Clandestino Cero operation, targeting more than 100 illegal dumping sites, with the latest cleanup near Laguna Las Garzas in Banco San Miguel and plans to turn recovered land into a community football pitch inside the Banco San Miguel and Bahía de Asunción Ecological Reserve. Climate & Water Risk: Paraguay and the Paraná basin are bracing for “Super Niño” conditions, with forecasts of rainfall above usual levels and river inflows that could double historical averages; Yacyretá says extra water may require controlled releases to reduce downstream flood peaks, even if it doesn’t automatically boost electricity generation. Sustainable Forestry Investment: At the Paraguay Investment Forum, JP Morgan Natural Capital and the Paraguayan government announced a $200 million push for sustainable forestry—commercial plantations, native forest restoration, and revenue via timber and carbon credits—planned to begin in early 2027. Youth & Waste-to-Art: Cateura’s Recycled Orchestra of Cateura is touring abroad, turning landfill waste into instruments and spotlighting how trash can become opportunity for young musicians.

Sustainable Forestry Investment: JP Morgan Natural Capital and Paraguay’s government announced a $200 million push to build a sustainable forestry platform, including commercial plantations, native forest restoration, and revenue streams such as timber and carbon credits, with capital deployment expected to begin in early 2027. Climate & Water Risks: Yacyretá warned that El Niño/“Super Niño” conditions could persist into early 2027, with Paraná River inflows potentially doubling historical averages—raising flood-peak management needs even if extra water doesn’t automatically mean more electricity generation. Biodiversity Monitoring: Paraguay is set to join a standardized terrestrial mammal monitoring effort using camera traps under the Snapshot Argentina-led network, aiming to improve comparable biodiversity data across South America. Energy Transition Forum: Paraguay will host Energías Paraguay 2026 in Asunción on Oct. 1, bringing together public and private players to discuss fuels, biofuels, electricity, renewables, and service-station business shifts. Waste-to-Music Spotlight: Cateura’s Recycled Orchestra—built from instruments made with landfill trash—toured the Bay Area, highlighting how waste can be turned into opportunity and environmental messaging.

Sustainable Forestry Investment: Paraguay’s government and JP Morgan Natural Capital announced a $200 million push for sustainable forestry, including commercial plantations, native forest restoration, and revenue streams like timber and carbon credits, with capital expected to start in early 2027. Climate & Water Risks: Yacyretá says El Niño/“Super Niño” rains could boost Paraná River inflows—sometimes up to double historical averages—while also warning that more water doesn’t automatically mean more electricity, and that discharge structures may be used to manage flood peaks downstream. Energy Transition & Local Business: Energías Paraguay 2026 (Oct. 1, Asunción) will bring together authorities and companies to discuss fuels, biofuels, renewables, electric mobility, and how service stations can diversify beyond fuel sales. Waste-to-Music Hope: Cateura’s Recycled Orchestra is touring abroad, turning landfill trash into instruments and opportunity for youth from one of Asunción’s most affected waste areas. Biodiversity Monitoring: A mammal monitoring network using camera traps is expanding into Paraguay as part of a standardized regional effort coordinated by CONICET scientists.

Climate & Water Risk: Paraguay’s Yacyretá is bracing for “Super Niño” conditions, with forecasts of above-usual rainfall that could push Paraná River inflows toward double historical averages—raising flood-peak concerns even if extra water doesn’t automatically mean more electricity generation. Sustainable Forestry Investment: At the Paraguay Investment Forum, the Office of the President and JP Morgan Natural Capital announced a ~$200M push for sustainable forestry—commercial plantations, native forest restoration, and revenue via timber and carbon credits, with capital deployment expected in early 2027. Biodiversity Monitoring: Paraguay is also being pulled into a wider mammal monitoring effort using standardized camera traps, aiming to build comparable biodiversity data across countries. Trade With Environmental Hooks: Brazil enacted the Mercosur–EFTA free trade deal, which includes commitments tied to sustainable development, environmental protection, biodiversity, and human rights—relevant for Paraguay’s conservation-linked trade agenda. Tourism & Ecosystem Conservation: Paraguay and Argentina’s Corrientes advanced a joint tourism agenda around the Iberá Wetlands, explicitly linking visitor growth with ecosystem conservation and cross-border promotion.