Approximately 130 indigenous communities belonging to the Mbya Guaraní People live in the Northeastern Argentinian province of Misiones. (1) The ‘Alto Parana’ Atlantic rainforest is still intact in the areas where their villages are located, although it is being threatened and destroyed by agribusiness and monoculture tree plantations.
Misiones is the province in Argentina with the second-largest area of tree plantations in the country, with 13 percent of its land (412.860 hectares) covered with these monocultures, mostly pine trees. (2) The largest company operating in the region is Chilean multinational corporation Arauco, which owns a pulp mill in the province and 230,000 hectares of land – at least half of which have been covered with pine and eucalyptus plantations. (3)
Monoculture tree plantations and the industrial extraction of timber in Misiones is encroaching onto indigenous Peoples’ and peasant communities' territories, dispossessing them of their livelihoods, destroying their forests, and contaminating the environment. Against this backdrop, the survival of Mbya and peasant communities is under constant threat. (4)
Arauco's impacts on communities in Misiones
In 2022, as the drought in the province showed no signs of letting up and fires began to spread rapidly, the Mbya Guaraní Community of Puente Quemado II in the municipality of Garuhapé saw part of its territory burn down – including homes and native forest.
The pine plantation that Arauco had illegally established within the community caught fire, and the fire spread in a matter of minutes. This left behind a devastating landscape and endangered families' homes, some of which burned down.
Some time later, company representatives met with the community and expressed their intention to replant pine trees in the burned area. The families rejected this proposal and have been resisting pressure from the company ever since.
The community's territory covers 659 hectares, which were mapped and recognized by the Argentinian government under National Law 26.160. However, Arauco planted pine trees on more than half of this land without holding a Free, Prior Informed Consultation, as required by national and international law.
And that's not all. In addition to invading community lands and putting them at risk of fire, Arauco suggested a ridiculous scenario: that the families should only occupy and utilize five of the 333 hectares that the company invaded.
Currently, peasants in the town of San Pedro find themselves threatened by criminal actions associated with the company. (5) Dozens of families traveled to the city of Posadas and reported arrests, assaults, the burning of homes, the slaughter of animals and the theft of tools; they accused Arauco of being behind these incidents. (6) The same thing happened some time ago in the town of Wanda. (7)
The Mbya People were also victims of this violence – not just in Puente Quemado II, but also in other communities overtaken by the multinational corporation. In 2023, residents from the community of Andrés Guacurarí, located in Puerto Libertad, reported that it had been overrun with heavy machinery. The mburuvicha (traditional community leader) denounced that the company was "planting pine trees close to the community – 50 meters away – using chemicals that are dangerous for children and adults."
"They threatened to kill us for going out to stop the machines. One of the company employees said that if the boss sees any of us, he will kill us. My fear is not of death, but of something happening to my People. I am defending my territory, which belongs to us and to future generations," he asserted.
In addition to these violations of constitutional, customary rights and national laws, there is massive environmental damage.
Monoculture tree plantations cause severe environmental impacts, such as the loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, and excessive consumption of water; species like pine and eucalyptus absorb large amounts of water, causing springs and streams to dry up. Furthermore, they increase the risk of fires, because the sap of species like pine trees makes them more flammable. This is what occurred in Puente Quemado II.
These plantations also contaminate the water due to the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, which end up in rivers, streams and groundwater – harming the environment and people's health.
Despite the damage caused by this indiscriminate exploitation of the Earth, the blame is always placed on the Mbya People. Yet, despite this, they remain steadfast on their land because they are the only true guardians of nature there.
Puente Quemado II: In addition to Arauco, there is logging
This year, Puente Quemado II faced another chapter in the violations of its rights. For months, the community has been facing escalating harassment, evictions, criminalization, and threats – perpetrated by security forces, judges, and individuals acting on behalf of a logging industry. The Mbya People are facing the threat of losing their ancestral territory, which the State itself has recognized.
With the aim of appropriating this territory, logging businessman Alfredo Ruff launched a campaign to criminalize members of the community. He filed complaints alleging occupation, which resulted in the arrests of community members. This subsequently resulted in an eviction that the Misiones Police carried out (8). The defense for the community challenged this measure, citing procedural irregularities and the failure to recognize constitutionally guaranteed indigenous territorial rights.
In the absence of effective remedies, the community decided to reclaim the territory from which it had been expelled in an organized and peaceful fashion. Since then, there has been an escalation of accusations, threats, and actions aimed at criminalizing both the Mbya families and those who stand with them and defend their rights (9).
This is why, now more than ever, Puente Quemado II calls on the provincial government to provide guarantees, justice and a solution that respects their territorial rights. To this aim, several national and international organizations are organizing a campaign in solidarity with this community to demand the basics from authorities: a guarantee of safety for Mbya families and the right to remain on their lands (10).
Misiones Team for Indigenous Pastoral Care (EmiPA, by its Spanish acronym)
References:
(1) El Territorio, 2022. Salud mental y adicciones, entre las demandas de comunidades mbya
(2) National Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Dashboard of plantations, May 2026
(3) Arauco, 2015. Public Summary – Forestry Management Plan (Misiones)
Arauco, 2025. Public Summary – Forestry Management Plan (Argentina)
(4) WRM, 2022. Reclaiming land in Misiones, Argentina: A Fight for Social Justice and a Dignified Life
(5) Andar, 2026. Vecinos de Misiones denuncian desalojos y detenciones arbitrarias por la policía y una empresa extranjera
(6) Agencia Tierra Viva, 2026. El modelo Arauco en Misiones: amenazas, detenciones y casas quemadas con complicidad estatal
(7) WRM, 2024. Argentina: Justice demanded for Arauco's eviction of peasant families
(8) Emipa, 2026. Del despojo territorial a la persecución de quienes lo denuncian
(9) WRM, 2026. Argentina: STOP the eviction of the Guaraní Community of Puente Quemado II in Misiones NOW!
(10) WRM, 2026. Please sign this letter in solidarity with the Mbya Guaraní People in Misiones, Argentina