Moisés Bertoni Scientific Monument

The Moisés Bertoni Scientific Monument is a nature reserve, museum, and historical site located in the District of Presidente Franco, Department of Alto Paraná, Paraguay. It is approximately 26 kilometers from the city of Presidente Franco. It was established on April 13, 1955, and covers 199 hectares.

The monument was the home of Swiss-Paraguayan Naturalist Moisés Santiago Bertoni^[1], who settled in the area in his early years, where he provided services to the people and government of Paraguay. Bertoni later became the Paraguayan Minister of Agriculture.

House of Moisés Bertoni

Bertoni's house

Moisés Bertoni was an idealist and botanist who moved his family from Europe to Paraguay in 1894 to implement their anarchist ideals. Throughout his lifetime, Bertoni investigated the culture of the Guaraní.^[2]

Bertoni's laboratory

Bertoni’s house also served as his laboratory, library, and office for writing his scientific papers—most of which were never publicly published. All the papers written had the emblem 'Ex silvis' (from the jungle) Bertoni penned rain predictions that were used by Paraguayan, Brazilian, and Argentine farmers for decades after his death. Bertoni also classified and studied plants with the help of the Guaraní tribe. This allowed Bertoni to learn the various uses of medicinal herbs.^{[citation needed]}

The museum contains personal objects, manuscripts, books, and letters. This collection is considered^{[by whom?]} an important historical reference in the natural sciences, an area to which Bertoni and his sons devoted decades of study.^{[citation needed]}

The Monument

The view of Paraná River from Bertoni's house

The site consists of 199 hectares of wilderness, which has been legally protected since 1955. The sole inhabitants of the park are the indigenous Mbya people and a small group of park rangers.

The cemetery where the Bertoni descendants are buried is just a few meters from the house. Several descendants were buried there until it was prohibited.

In 2024, the Paraguayan government arrested 26 individuals suspected of illegal deforestation following monitoring activities in the reserve.^[3][4]

Flora and Fauna

Bertoni contributed to the studies of botany, zoology, meteorology, anthropology, and other sciences while in the reserve. The park hosts a small section of the Atlantic forest and the Paraná River. It contains species such as Palm (Euterpe Edulis), Kuri'u (Araucaria Angustifolia), Fern trees, Jacuí-APETI (bored jacutinga), and the Woodpecker (Dryocopus galeatus), among other endangered plant varieties. It is estimated that about 60% of plant species were introduced by Moises Bertoni. Most of these introduced plant species occur only within the reserve and are alien to the Paraná region.^{[citation needed]}

Location

The area is surrounded by a variety of natural boundaries. To the north lies the river Monday, in the east lies the Paraná River, to the south lies the stream Itá Coty, and to the west lies the route connecting Presidente Franco to Los Cedrales.^{[citation needed]}

Tourism

The Puerto Bertoni, as Paraguayans call it, is a tourist site of unique beauty, due to its location on the banks of the Paraná River.

Tourism is operated by Brazilian and Argentine companies and includes boat rides. The indigenous Mbya people often perform a tribal dance at dusk and offer visitors handicrafts.^{[citation needed]}

Weather

The average annual temperature is 21°C, with a high of 38°C and a low of 0°C. The Alto Paraná region records the highest rainfall in Paraguay.^{[citation needed]}

Indigenous Population

Moisés Bertoni’s property lies within the territory of the Mbya indigenous group. Three villages populated by indigenous people are located on the remaining 199 hectares of the former property.^[5]

See also

• Moises Bertoni Foundation