| Summary: | To effectively conserve and sustainably manage forest resources, it is essential to assess forest biodiversity. Recent policies on biodiversity do not only respond to the loss of biological species but also to its role in the ecological balance of the planet. The objective of this study was to analyze the structural diversity and floristic composition of a forest in Chaco Serrano. Forest biodiversity was analyzed in 16 plots in systematic sampling design in two height levels and four main transects. In tree and shrub strata, number of individuals and total height were monitored. Horizontal distribution patterns and vertical structure were analyzed; indexes of importance, of diversity and phyto-sociological were calculated in order to determinate the ecological importance of each strata. The studied forest is a homogeneous mass in reference to its floristic composition. In the altitudinal gradient, the studied forest did not show significant differences, however in latitudinal one did. Seventy percent of species corresponded to the shrub strata; the index of importance woody (IVIL) showed the highest values for three shrubs: Acacia praecox, Ruprechtia apetala and Ruprechtia triflora; followed by an arboreal species: Caesalpinia paraguarensis. The data series were fitted to the lognormal model, which characterizes large, stable, and in equilibrium communities, in an intermediate successional stage.
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