The Papel Misionero Natural Cultural Reserve ( es, Reserva natural cultural Papel Misionero) is a natural cultural reserve in the

Misiones Province Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes ...

of Argentina.

Location

The Papel Misionero Natural Cultural Reserve is from the town of

El Soberbio El Soberbio is a village and municipality in Misiones Province in northeastern Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina ...

, Misiones. It has an area of . It is a protected area with managed resources, administered by the Fundación Selva Misionera. The reserve is in the

Alto Paraná Atlantic forests The Alto Paraná Atlantic forests, also known as the Paraná-Paraíba interior forests, is an ecoregion of the tropical moist forests biome, and the South American Atlantic Forest biome. It is located in southern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, ...

ecoregion. The land is privately owned, and visitors are not allowed. It would be part of the proposed

Trinational Biodiversity Corridor The Trinational Biodiversity Corridor ( pt, Corredor Trinacional de Biodiversidade) is a proposed ecological corridor that would link protected areas in the Alto Paraná Atlantic forests ecoregion in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. History The p ...

, which aims to provide forest connections between conservation units in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina in the Upper Paraná ecoregion.

History

The land was acquired by the Papel Misionero company in 1978. The Papel Misionero Natural Cultural Reserve was created in 1994. The objective is to protect a mature forest and a community of Guaraní people. It was formalized by provincial law 3.256 of 1995. In 1996 it was made part of the Yabotí Biosphere Reserve by law 3.375. A bill in 2003 proposed that the site be declared of public utility and subject to purchase or expropriation to create a Natural Cultural Reserve under the full control of the province. The reserve contains three villages of

Mbayá people The Mbayá or ''Mbyá'' are an Indigenous peoples of South America, indigenous people of South America which formerly ranged on both sides of the Paraguay River, on the north and northwestern Paraguay frontier, eastern Bolivia, and in the adjacent ...

with a population in 2016 of about 340. In 2011 the owner signed an agreement with the communities to recognise their ownership of of land, which could be cultivated, and for mutual cooperation in conservation. The local people would have access to the reserve to extract material for handicrafts, medicine and subsistence.

Environment

The reserve contains mountain forest vegetation in a good state of conservation. 70% of the reserve is covered by native forest. Another 30% is being reforested with pine for commercial use. The reserve has diverse ecosystems including lagoons and areas of tree ferns, and giant trees with heights of and diameter of . 37 species of mammals have been identified. Mammals include

South American tapir The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ''tapi'ira''), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, the ''anta'' (Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushcow ...

(''Tapirus terrestris''),

white-lipped peccary The white-lipped peccary (''Tayassu pecari'') is a species of peccary found in Central America, Central and South America and the only member of the genus ''Tayassu''. Multiple subspecies have been identified. White-lipped peccaries are similar ...

(''Tayassu pecari''),

water opossum The water opossum (''Chironectes minimus''), also locally known as the yapok (), is a marsupial of the family Didelphidae.* It is the only living member of its genus, ''Chironectes''. This semiaquatic creature is found in and near freshwater ...

(''Chironectes minimus''),

giant anteater The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteaters, of which it is the largest member. The only extant member of the genus ''Myrmecopha ...

(''Myrmecophaga tridactyla''),

greater naked-tailed armadillo The greater naked-tailed armadillo (''Cabassous tatouay'') is an armadillo species from South America. Description Larger than the closely related southern naked-tailed armadillos, adults of the greater species measure in head-body length, wi ...

(''Cabassous tatouay''),

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...

(Leopardus pardalis),

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

(''Panthera onca'') and

black howler The black howler (''Alouatta caraya'') or black-and-gold howler, is among the largest New World monkeys and a member of the ''Alouatta'' genus. The black howler is distributed in areas of South America such as Paraguay, southern Brazil, eastern ...

(''Alouatta caraya''). Birds include

black-and-white hawk-eagle The black-and-white hawk-eagle (''Spizaetus melanoleucus'', formerly ''Spizastur melanoleucus'') is a bird of prey species in the eagle and hawk family (Accipitridae). It is found throughout a large part of tropical America, from southern Mexic ...

(''Spizaetus melanoleucus''),

pheasant cuckoo The pheasant cuckoo (''Dromococcyx phasianellus'') is a species of neotropical cuckoo in the subfamily Neomorphinae of the family Cuculidae. It is native to Central and South America where it occurs in lowland tropical forest. Description The p ...

(''Dromococcyx phasianellus''),

rusty-barred owl The rusty-barred owl (''Strix hylophila'') is a medium-sized "typical owl" in subfamily Striginae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil (where it is known as the Brazilian owl), and Paraguay.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the B ...

(''Strix hylophila''),

glittering-bellied emerald The glittering-bellied emerald (''Chlorostilbon lucidus'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.HBW and BirdLife Internationa ...

(''Chlorostilbon lucidus''),

thick-billed saltator The thick-billed saltator (''Saltator maxillosus'') is a species of saltator in the family Thraupidae. It is found in highland Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil, far northeastern Argentina (only Misiones Province), and perhaps far eastern P ...

(''Saltator maxillosus'') and

black-throated grosbeak The black-throated grosbeak (''Saltator fuliginosus'') is a seed-eating passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in humid Atlantic Forest in far northeastern Argentina ( Misiones), eastern and southeastern Brazil, and far ea ...

(''Saltator fuliginosus'').

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Papel Misionero Natural Cultural Reserve Protected areas of Misiones Province 1994 establishments in Argentina Protected areas of the Atlantic Forest