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THE PARAGUAYAN CHACO: 
AN ECOSYSTEM ENDANGERED 
Wolfgang Kruck 
Rainer Hoffmann 
Gregorio Raidan 
Proyecto Sistema Ambiental del Chaco 
Direccion de Ordenamiento Ambiental 
c/o GTZ C.C. 1859 
AAsunci6, Paraguay 
ISPRS Commission VII / Working Group 5 
ABSTRACT 
Efforts are made by the Paraguayan Government in co-operation with the German Federal Institute for 
Geosciences and Natural Resources to establish rules for an equilibrate occupation and protection of the 
Chaco's fragile ecosystem. Basic information is revealed by an interdisciplinary team interpreting remote 
sensing data (Landsat-TM, MSS, NOAA AVHRR data, aerial photograph, aerovideo) combined with 
field work. Data are processed by an ERDAS-System, including digitization of video, an are presented in 
different thematic maps using the Vegetation differences, its density and distribution, surface water, and 
soil reflection properties seen on satellite images are the keys for understanding the present ecosystem of 
the Chaco and the development during Holocene times. Fluviatile and solian sedimentation, dislocations 
of extensive inland deltas and rivers, and the relation to extension and quality of ground-water can be 
inferred. Human activities, like damming rivers and road construction cause soil and water salinization 
and inundations. NOAA AVHRR data are used for deforestation monitoring. 
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