On September 21, Forestal Sylvis founder and president Raúl Gauto moderated “Forestry: A World-Class Investment Opportunity,” a panel held at Bank of America in New York as part of the Paraguay Investment Forum 2026.
The panel opened with Raúl setting out why forestry has become one of Paraguay’s priority sectors for the years ahead. Plantation growth rates in the country rank among the fastest recorded anywhere in the world, driven by climate and soil conditions well suited to eucalyptus. Millions of hectares of degraded pastureland are available for planting, meaning expansion can happen without touching native forest. River logistics connect production areas directly to global markets, and Paraguay’s legal framework includes one of the most advanced carbon credit laws in the region.
From there, four industry leaders who have already built their businesses in Paraguay shared what brought them to the country and what they see ahead.
Per Olofsson, Chairman of the Board at Paracel, spoke about the industrial hub forming around the company’s pulp project in Concepción. Backed by more than 200,000 hectares of forestry assets and Austria’s Heinzel Group as strategic investor, Paracel is building toward 1.8 million metric tons of eucalyptus pulp per year, anchored by a plantation base, a mill, and the ecosystem of suppliers and services that support the forestry value chain. Looking forward, he pointed to the next phases of that hub and the industries taking shape around it.
Kiantar Betancourt, CEO of Atenil, discussed Chaco Vivo, the company’s flagship project and the largest REDD+ conservation initiative in Paraguay, protecting close to 188,000 hectares of native forest in the Gran Chaco in partnership with local communities. He identified the expansion of Atenil’s carbon portfolio, through new conservation initiatives, as the next stage of growth.
Charlie Sichel, Managing Partner at FLS Group, explained why the platform, which connects institutional capital with sustainable forestry worldwide, chose Paraguay as a market for its investment strategy, and how the country compares to other geographies institutional investors consider. He pointed to the opportunity to scale FLS’s activity and bring more capital into the country.
Dr. Stavros Siokos, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Astarte Capital Partners, highlighted the milestone reached by the Silvipar Astarte Impact Forestry Funds, which are approaching a combined $500 million in commitments, well above their original target. Backed by institutional investors from more than 25 countries across five continents, the funds represent one of the largest and most geographically diverse pools of institutional capital assembled for Paraguay. They are transforming degraded land into a productive forestry portfolio, with further opportunities to expand along the country’s forestry value chain.
Together, the four stories covered the full range of the sector: an industrial hub built around a landmark pulp project, plantation development backed by institutional funds, a global forestry investment platform, and the country’s largest carbon conservation project.
For Forestal Sylvis, having Raúl lead this conversation on one of the world’s most visible financial stages reflects the growing recognition of Paraguay as a serious destination for long-term, sustainable forestry investment.
