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PANTANAL(Home page) |
The Pantanal is the world’s largest wetland. It is located in the Upper Paraguay River basin, in South America. The Pantanal extends through Central-West Brazil (70% of the overall area), Eastern Bolivia and North-Eastern Paraguay, covering about 200,000 km2 during the rainy season. The overall surface equals 5 European countries, the size of It is located in South America’s geographical centre. |
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Essential Geography |
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Geo-morphologic Features |
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The Pantanal of Mato-Grosso is surrounded by plateaux reaching 1000 m altitude in places (e.g. The Serra of Urucum-Amolar) |
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The Rio Paraguay, fifth largest river in South America and tributary to the Rio Paraná, is the only river that has its sources outside the region. All other rivers in the Pantanal are included in its basin, to form an intricate and complex network. Among the most important are Rio Cuiabá, Vermelho, São Lourenço, Itiquira, Taquari and Rio Miranda. The Rio Paraguay is also the only out-let for both the still and the slow running waters of the region. |
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The vast alluvial plain (at 80-100 m above sea level) was formed by the sediments from the rivers descending the Andes and from the surrounding highlands. It dips slightly along the Paraguay River, about 1-2 cm/km in NS- direction and 6-12 cm/km in an EW- direction. |
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Although the Pantanal is basically flat, the surrounding uplands and some other formations in the plain itself have specific names: - Serras are the highest elevations, reaching up to 3,000 feet a.s.l. - Morros and Morros isolados, isolated, up to 450 feet a.s.l. - Cordilheiras are the most typical geological formations in the Pantanal. They are slight terrain elevations located between the baías, with mean elevations of about 2-3 m above the sea level. While they are normally dry, they are subject to inundation during exceptional floods. They serve as high areas for the location of cattle ranches, and as a refuge for livestock and wild fauna during extraordinary and exceptional floods. - |
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From Flood to Drought |
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The annual cycle of chuva and seca, enchente and vazante The climate in the Pantanal features dry and rainy periods: - from about October through April the wet rainy season occurs and is called chuva or cheia: in this period the Pantanal is progressively flooded (enchente) - the dry season begins approximately in May (the so called seca), which lasts through to about September, when the rivers withdraw to normal and the various ponds, temporary lagoons and canals dry up or evaporate (vazante). The annual flood cycle determines the abundance and variety of both animal and vegetal life in the Pantanal, in its countless stretches of water and waterways. |
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From October-November, due to the heavy rainfalls the rivers progressively flood their banks. In this period (enchente), the water slowly flood the plain, from North to South occupying a total flooded area that has been calculated approximately ten times the Everglades’ (Florida, USA). Temporary lagoons, small lakes as well as canals form between rivers and waterways: Some areas are completely flooded, with the exception of the typical cordilheiras, the small elevations always above the water covered with vegetation and trees. Precipitations reach their peak between December and February, slowly diminishing in the following months. (Some 178 billion litres of water fall on the Pantanal plain in an average day in the rainy season: sufficient to supply a city of 18 million people). Small bays and lakes, ponds and lagoons, natural canals and pools become immense reservoirs full of fish that move along and within the flow of the flood. |
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The dry season starts between June and July. Due to the progressive withdrawal of the waters (we are now in the vazante cycle), masses of fish are trapped in the shrinking, shallow water pools and the numerous bird species and other animals such as the jacarés – the Pantanal caimans – compete for the abundant food. In the green open fields the marsh deers and the capybaras share the grazing land with the cattle. |
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The various stretches of water, basins and lagoons are named after a regional terminology, deriving from their forms and functions: - The vazantes are large depressions situated between the cordilheiras, lacking a clearly defined channel. During the flood season, these depressions drain intermittent streams, extending for several kilometres - The corixos, unlike the vazantes, are small permanent watercourses connecting adjacent baías with narrower and much deeper channels - The banhados are the flatlands and areas near the rivers that are periodically flooded during the wet season - The baías are low-lying areas of circular, semicircular, or irregular shape, which have standing water, sometimes saline; their linear dimensions vary from tens to hundreds of meters. |
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Human geography |
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The Fazendas are the Pantaneiros residences, the traditional cattle ranches representing quite possibly nowadays the least invasive form of human settlement for the Pantanal. They are few and are scattered in the more accessible areas of the region – generally reached only by the scarce trails on horse back, or jeeps or by small planes that can land on their grass air-strips. The Pantaneiros – the Pantanal cow-boys – live on their cattle ranching: zebu cattle and horses. Born and raised in the Pantanal, the Pantaneiros know the various ‘secrets’ of the region; a nomadic people, they possess rudimentary knowledge in many fields of zoology, botanic, astronomy and veterinary practices, and live in perfect harmony with their environment. The young generations however are gradually abandoning the region as they are more and more attracted by the comforts of modern city life. |
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It is the only communication route in the Northern Pantanal. According to the original project of 1971 it should connect the extreme North with the extreme South of the region, that’s to say the two cities of Poconé and Corumbá, totalling approximately 400 km. The initial project which contemplates a connection via railway, road and waterway has been reduced to a simple dirt road running for 145 km with 125 little wooden bridges, which starts in Poconé and ends abruptly d at Porto Jofre, a tiny tourist village and resort on the Cuiabá River. Transport conditions are rather precarious, especially during the rainy season. The road is mainly used for supply transports to the Fazendas, for cattle transfer and by fishermen and tourists exploring the wild Pantanal region. |
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Almost all human settlements are located on the perimeter of Pantanal, like the small towns of Cáceres, Poconé, Coxim, Miranda, Aquidauana. The only exception is Corumbá, the ‘capital city of Pantanal’ which is located in the Brazilian State of Mato Grosso Do Sul, which is not far from the Bolivian border. These small towns have mainly a rural population living on cattle ranching and agriculture, handicraft activities and tourism. |
1.1.4 |
Human Activities |
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Agriculture and cattle ranching are the main human activities on the highlands surrounding the Pantanal plain, which are not subject to the annual flooding. The main agricultural products are rice, soybeans, corn and sugarcane. The heavily mechanized agriculture resulting in destructive practices such as clearing land in the upstream highlands and the use of agrochemicals, herbicides and pesticides naturally affects the downstream Pantanal and is one of the main threats to its biodiversity. |
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The Bolivia-Brazil Gas Pipeline The gas pipeline of this international project cuts across the Southern Pantanal for about 70 km. It is meant to carry natural gas from the deposits in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, As the Brazilian public agency Embrapa claims “the implementation of this pipeline may open some industrial perspectives for the region, but will also cause heavy alterations to Pantanal’s ecosystem and more extensively to La Plata Basin”, with significant long- and short-term impacts on the environment and the inhabitants. |
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The rich production of fish in the Pantanal is the result of the annual flood cycle and the countless aquatic habitats account for the presence of the many different species of the Pantanal. There are a number of by-laws which regulate fishing in the region. However, enforcement is often inadequate. . |
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Ecologically sustainable tourism or, more generally, ecological tourism is a slowly emerging activity, which has mainly expanded in Southern Pantanal, a more developed region offering also a wider range of infrastructures. Pousadas and Fazendas can offer lodging to the ‘eco-tourists’, who are usually given a choice of activities such as bird-watching, or more generally watching the animals in their natural habitats, horse riding, hiking, canoeing and trekking. Eco-tourism has been identified as one economic activity that can support conservation of the natural environment providing, at the same time, benefits to the local population. |
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1.2 |
THE ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF PANTANAL |
1.2.1 |
The annual flood cycle is the key-process that makes Pantanal a hotspot for biodiversity. This wetland offers a magnificent, impressive scenery made of different natural habitats. Its landscape encompasses a variety of ecological sub-regions, including river corridors, gallery forests, perennial wetlands and lakes, seasonally inundated grasslands and terrestrial forests. Pantanal is one of the most productive eco-systems on our planet; the fauna is extremely diverse, including more than 650 species of birds, 80 of mammals, 50 types reptiles and about 260 fish species. Some terms of comparison: the fresh waters of Pantanal are home to more fish species than in all of Europe (where about 200 fish species can be found). Moreover: there are more bird species in the Pantanal (more than 650) than in North America (about 500). |
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In relation to the vast extension of Pantanal the endemic, that’s to say the original species of the region are relatively few. The Pantanal functions primarily as an invaluable ecological and genetic corridor – the so-called bio-geographic corridor – where many species from the Amazon River watershed and La Plata Basin (which includes the Some migratory birds – for instance the small (20 cm high) maçarico-de-papo-vermelho – undertake an incredibly long seasonal migration from |
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Plants and Animals |
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Due to its unique ecological features the Pantanal was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The site represents just 1.3% of the region and includes the Pantanal National Parks and some private preserves. The Pantanal was also proclaimed a Biosphere Reserve in November, 2001, comprising the States of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and a small portion of Goiás State. The Pantanal Biosphere Reserve covers the headwaters of the rivers that make up the Pantanal. Totalling approximately 25 million hectares, it represents the third largest Biosphere Reserve in the world. |
1.3 |
PROBLEMS AND THREATS |
Problems and threats to the Pantanal have different origins and causes. They all however affect the environment and are dangerous for the very sensitive, fragile and complex eco-system of this region: |
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- acceleration of soil erosion and river sedimentation processes o The expansion of human activities such as the heavily mechanized agriculture on the surrounding uplands determines alterations and acceleration in the natural processes of sedimentation and soil erosion, with serious consequences for the various vegetal and animal species also in the Pantanal lowland o |
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- construction of dams and hydro-electric stations o dams, dykes and hydro-electric stations alter the natural water-flow patterns, creating barriers to fish migration, deviating the original water ways between rivers and other stretches of water o |
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- water contamination of the rivers in their upstream flow o pesticides and more generally agro-chemical products used for agricultural purposes, especially on the highlands, are washed into the rivers and streams causing a contamination of their upstream flows. In addition to this, untreated domestic sewage and garbage is discharged into the Pantanal rivers and wetlands, causing organic overload and sediment and also chemical contamination. o other problems are caused by gold and diamond mining operations (often illegal in the so-called garimpos) due to mercury contamination: mercury is used to concentrate gold found in sand and gravel deposits and doesn’t disperse properly in the environment; it can also cause genetic malformations |
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- unorganized tourism activities o Lack of planning and methods to minimize the Environment and Biodiversity impact coupled with lack of inspections and control heavily effect the Pantanal natural environment and eco-systems o |
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- poaching and illegal traffic of animal wild species o this concerns especially some wild species living in the Pantanal, like the Arara-azul (the hyacinthine macaw), the marsh-deer of Pantanal, the jacaré (Pantanal’s caiman), the jaguar o |
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- illegal fishing and overfishing o overfishing as well as illegal fishing are often due to the scarce or total absence of inspection activities: they contribute to selective pressure upon different freshwater species, thus distorting the natural ecological balance in the environment o the annual fish harvest in the Pantanal reaches over 3,000 tons o |
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o they are set by ranchers and farmers to clear the land for new pastures and sowing o are particularly prevalent in the Brazilian Pantanal and highlands during September and October o although natural fires play an Environment and Biodiversity role, the extent of this human-induced burning is quite remarkable also for the wild areas of Pantanal and their flora and fauna species o |
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- introduction of non-native grass species o cattle ranching has been practised for about 200 years in the Pantanal’s less remote areas but among the ‘innovations’ introduced in recent times there was also the use of non-native grass species mainly from Africa, that cause a loss in the original biodiversity of the region o |
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- the Paraguay-Parana Waterway Project or Hidrovia o this intergovernmental project has come to the fore several times over the past decade: it proposed to ‘facilitate’ navigation over 3,300 km of the o a primary goal of the project was to create a year-round navigational transport of cargo from the northern most navigable portion of the Paraguay River to the Atlantic Ocean o developing this system for navigation would include deep dredging, the establishment of canals, excavation of rocky beds to accommodate barges up to 3 m draft during low-water periods, realignment of channels, the improvement of port and roadway infrastructures o such construction works – which will allow for the navigation of large barge convoys transporting mineral products, soy-beans and other (raw) materials throughout the year –would have devastating effects on the environment in the Pantanal: large sections of it would be drained, with the increased speed of water-flow down the Paraguay River. The various species depending on aquatic environments would loose critical refuges, and the normal alternation of floods into the floodplain, so essential for sustaining bio-diversity, would be destroyed o the project has been harshly criticized and opposed by many NGOs as well as conservation scientists and other organizations: although it is no longer seen as viable in its original structure any more, it reappears at times in the form of smaller hydrological initiatives that remain active projects. o |