The Pantanal

The Pantanal is situated in the middle of South-America, on the border between Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. It is the largest inland wetland of the world. Although the word Pantanal is derived from the Portuguese word for swamp (pântano), the Pantanal is composed of a variety of landscapes and ecosystems: rivers, creeks, lagoons, lakes, mud pools, savannah and different types of forest.

Landscape and water

The Pantanal consists of a vast, fertile floodplain. It is surrounded by a number of mountain ranges and regions with a dry climate. A number of rivers bring water from the Andes and the Brazilian highlands to the Pantanal, including the Apa, the Aquidauana, the Cuiabá, the Miranda, the Piquiri, the São Lourenço and the Taquari. Upstream, the Paraguai river carries fresh water into the Pantanal while it is the Pantanal’s only drain downstream. Without these rivers, the Pantanal would be as dry as the neighbouring Cerrado.

The Pantanal is flooded during the rain season. The flat landscape is interrupted by a few strips of slightly elevated land that stay dry. These cordilheiras are covered by palms and are an important refuge for land animals from the vazantes (grasslands that becomes flooded during the rainy season. During the dry season, the water retreats in baías (sweet water lakes) and corixas (natural drainage canals). The baías are formed in lower areas and receive fresh water when the Pantanal is flooded.

Salt water lakes or salinas are mainly located in the lower areas of the region of Nhecolândia. Contrary to baías, salinas are not flooded during the dry period and as a result of this, salt was accumulated in these lakes. As the salt prevents plant growth, many of these lakes are surrounded by beautiful white beaches.

Biodiversity

The capricious untamed rivers and the yearly rhythm of flooding and drying resulted in a unique varied landscape that is extraordinarily rich in colours and sounds.

The Pantanal counts about 650 bird species, 80 mammal species and 263 fish species. Among the most spectacular animal species are the blue Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) which is the largest macaw of the world, the Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria) which is the largest stork of the Americas and which is locally known as Tuiuiú, the Nandu, the jaguar, the Capuchin monkey and the Capybara, a member of the Cavy family which has the size of a small pig. The number of insect species that live in the Pantanal is not know, but 1100 species of butterfly have been described at present. Among the Pantanal’s 50 species of reptiles are two kinds of caiman, iguanas, the Red-footed Tortoise and the Snake-necked Turtle.

Threats to the Pantanal and wildlife conservation

Intensification of cattle ranging is one of the most important threats to the ecosystem of the Pantanal. In order to protect the Pantanal against agricultural activities, the wildlife reserve Parque Nacional do Pantanal Matogrossense was founded in 1981. In 1998, a second wildlife reserve was established, the Reserva da Biosfera do Pantanal which is a private initiative and which is located on the border between the State of Mato Grosso and the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. There is still a lot of cattle ranging outside these reserves, but more and more farms are converted into hotels as a result of the growing contribution of tourism to the economy of this region. On such farms, the management of the natural landscape becomes important.

Overfishing is another threat to the Pantanal. The Pantanal traditionally provided the surrounding cities with sweet water fish but overfishing reduced the fish stocks below acceptable levels. Because many Brazilians are enthusiastic sport fishers, politicians paid attention to this problem and there are currently a number of laws in force that aim to protect the fish stocks. For example, fishing is forbidden during the piracema, the period in which many fish species migrate to spawn upstream. Over the last years, the demand for fish in the inlands of Brazil is more and more met by breeding fish in ponds on farms.

A visit to the Pantanal

The Pantanal is one of Brazil’s most popular holiday destinations for ecotourists because of the large amounts of wild animals that can be seen. Sport fishers also appreciate the Pantanal.

See also:

• Brazil Travel Guide: the Pantanal
• Sport fishing in the Pantanal
• Brazilian wildlife
• The vegetation of Brazil: 6 different biomes