Paraguay Naturalization may be considered as a lesser developed country compared to its neighbors in Latin America, but it is certainly not lacking in diversity of flora and fauna. This small country is actually home to 40 Protected Wildlife Areas, including the Champions of the Chaco National Park, the Guarani Timane Reserve, the Inmakata Lagoon, the Rio Negro National Park and the Mbaracayu Forest Reserve.
The flora in Paraguay reflects the diverse profiles of its regions and sub-regions. In Chaco for instance, the northeast area has sub-tropical forests, savannah in the southeast and thorny vegetation prevails in the west. Vegetation is concentrated in the Parana Plateau because of heavy rainfall throughout the year. There are about 500 recorded species of hardwood trees that grow in Paraguay, including eucalyptus, cedar, lapacho, urunday, Santa Lucia Moroti and the medicinal Yerba Mate. Softwoods are scarce but fruit-bearing trees such as the pindo, the mbocaya or coconut palm, the aguai, the inga and the guavira also abound in Paraguay.
In terms of fauna, the country is home to a number of endangered animals such as the Jaguar, Maned Wolf, Tapir, White-lipped peccary, Chilean Coot, Saw-toothed Duck and the Collared anteater. Most recent records indicate that there are over 200 species of fish, 645 species of birds of which about 80 are endemic to Paraguay and 167 types of mammals, a number of which are rare in South America. Some of the endemic species of birds that can be seen include the Harpy Eagle, the Blue-winged Macaw, the Black-Fronted Piping Guan, the Calandra Lark, and the Bare-faced Curassow.