MEGA LANDSCAPE
The Grand Arch in central-western South America
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Our immediate strategic geographical focus is the Grand Arch in central-western South America. This mega-landscape spans multiple ecological regions, stretching from the Pantanal wetlands in Brazil and eastern Bolivia through the Chiquitano Dry Forests and into the Western Amazon, reaching the northern Peruvian Amazon and extending toward Colombia and Ecuador. Connecting the Amazon, Chiquitano, and Pantanal biomes, the Grand Arch represents a continental-scale conservation landscape characterised by exceptionally high biodiversity and comparatively low deforestation rates, making the central-western Amazon a critical stronghold for conservation.
THE AMAZON-CHIQUITANO-PANTANAL LANDSCAPE
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The Amazon rainforest forms the northern backbone of the Grand Arch landscape and remains a critical global stronghold for biodiversity and climate regulation. While large parts of the eastern Amazon have already surpassed ecological tipping points due to extensive forest loss, the central and western Amazon remain comparatively intact. These regions play a vital role in sustaining ecological stability, maintaining climate regulation, and supporting connectivity across the broader forest-wetland mosaic. However, increasing pressure from deforestation and climate change underscores the urgency of protecting these remaining intact systems.
The Chiquitano dry forest forms a key ecological transition zone between the Amazon and the Pantanal. As the world’s largest remaining tropical dry forest, it plays a vital role in maintaining biodiversity and landscape connectivity but faces increasing pressure from agricultural expansion and wildfires.
The Pantanal wetlands, the world’s largest tropical wetland system, form the southern ecological anchor of the Grand Arch landscape. Seasonal flood pulses regulate regional water cycles and influence climate patterns that affect both the Chiquitano forests and the southwestern Amazon. By maintaining hydrological connectivity and buffering climate extremes such as droughts and fires, the Pantanal strengthens the resilience of the broader forest–wetland mosaic.