Paraguay’s National Anti-Drug Secretariat (Senad), through its Directorate of Alternative Development, has launched Operación Restaurar, a pilot program that adds environmental recovery to the fight against drug trafficking. According to a report by Noticias CDE, the initiative responds to the discovery that marijuana production networks illegally enter both private and state nature reserves, clearing large swaths of native forest to establish illicit crops.
Once eradication operations conclude, Senad carries out reforestation days using native seeds sown by the “al voleo” (broadcast) method, with materials provided by the National Forestry Institute. The restored areas then undergo periodic monitoring to assess growth and natural regeneration.
Operación Restaurar has already been applied as the final phase of several binational operations under the name Nueva Alianza, conducted jointly with Brazil’s Federal Police. Most recently, it was implemented at the close of Operation Nueva Alianza 55 in forested areas of the Amambay department. With these actions, Senad aims to show that the fight against drug trafficking involves not only eradicating illegal crops but also restoring life to affected territories, integrating the environmental dimension as an essential part of security and collective well-being, the outlet reported.