Pantanal
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| Pantanal Conservation Area* | |
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| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party |  Brazil |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | vii, ix, x |
| Reference | 999 |
| Region† | Latin America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2000 (24th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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- This article is about a land area. For the species of wild cat, see Pantanal Cat.
The Pantanal is the world’s largest area of wetlands [1][2], a flat landscape, with gently sloping and meandering rivers. The region, whose name derives from the Portuguese word “pântano” (meaning “swamp” or “marsh” ), is situated in South America, mostly within the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. There are also small portions in Bolivia and Paraguay. In total, the Pantanal covers about 195,000 square kilometers (75,000 sq mi).[3]
The Pantanal floods during the wet season, submerging over 80% of the area, and nurturing the world's richest collection of aquatic plants. It is thought to be the world’s most dense flora and fauna ecosystem. It is often overshadowed by the Amazon Rainforest, partly because of its proximity, but is just as vital and interesting a part of the neotropic.
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[edit] Geography
The Pantanal is a huge gently sloped basin that receives runoff from the upland areas (the Planalto highlands) and slowly releases the water through a single drainage channel, the Paraguay River. The formation is a result of the large concave pre-Andean depression of the earth’s crust, related to the Andean orogeny of the Tertiary. It constitutes an enormous internal river delta, in which several rivers flowing from the surrounding plateau merge, depositing their sediments and erosion residues, which have been filling, throughout the years, the large depression area of the Pantanal. This area is also one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger Parana-Paraguay Plain division.
The Pantanal is bounded by the Chiquitano dry forests to the west and northwest, by the Arid Chaco dry forests to the southwest, and the Humid Chaco to the south. The Cerrado savannas lie to the north, east, and southeast.
The Pantanal has an average yearly rainfall of 1,000-1,400 mm (40-55 in), but is fed by the upper Paraguay River. Its average temperature is 25 °C (77 °F), but temperatures can fluctuate from 0 to 40 °C (32 to 104 °F).
During the rainy season (December to May), the Pantanal water levels rise more than three meters. Just as annual floods on the Nile allow for fertile, farmable land, the dramatic increase of water during the rainy season nourishes the producers of Pantanal, which in turn nourishes all the other species as well. Humans have taken advantage of this so much that it has become a problem. Approximately 99% of the land in the Pantanal is privately owned for the purpose of agriculture, and ranching in particular. There are some 2500 fazendas in the region, with up to 8 million head of cattle.[4]
The Pantanal is a natural water treatment facility. It supplies freshwater to the nearby areas by removing chemicals and other pollutants from the water which flows through it. However, when this “cleaning system” becomes overloaded, species which call the Pantanal home begin to suffer. Industrial development (especially gold mining) has begun to cause these problems.
[edit] Flora and fauna
This ecosystem is home to a known 3,500 species of plants, as well as over 1000 birds, 400 species of fish, around 300 species of mammals, and 480 species of reptiles, including the caiman, a species closely related to the alligator, of which there are an estimated 10 million. The Pantanal is a natural home for the Hyacinth Macaw. This bird is endangered due to its US$10,000 price tag on the black market. Other threatened species include the Jaguar, Caiman, Maned Wolf, Bush Dog, Giant Otter, Giant Armadillo, Capybara, Jabiru and Brazilian Tapir.
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[edit] Threats to the Pantanal
The ecosystem of the Pantanal is under threat from human activities, including uncontrolled recreational fishing, the hunting and smuggling of endangered species (caiman, panther, wild cats, parrots and macaws), uncontrolled tourism, and deforestation and forest fires for agricultural use in the neighbouring areas. In recent rainy seasons, flooding has been very high and caused the inundation of many cultivated areas surrounding the park. Receding flood waters carried large amounts of pesticides into the rivers and lakes, killing a great number of fish.[citation needed]
Pressure for economic development (such as oil pipelines and shipping canals) is of particular concern. A plan to dredge the Paraguay and Parana Rivers to allow ocean-going ships to travel far inland could have serious consequences for the ecosystem by affecting the flooding and drainage cycles.
[edit] Protected areas
[edit] Pantanal Matogrossense National Park
A portion of the Pantanal in Brazil has been protected as the Pantanal Matogrossense National Park. This 1,350 km² (520 sq mi) park was established in September 1981. It is located in the municipality of Poconé in the State of Mato Grosso, between the mouths of the Bahía de Sao Marcos and the Gurupi River.
This park has been designated a Ramsar Site of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention since May 24, 1993.
[edit] SESC Pantanal Private Natural Heritage Reserve
The SESC Pantanal Private Natural Heritage Reserve (Reserva Particular do Patrimonio Natural SESC Pantanal) is a privately owned reserve in Brazil, established in 1998 and 878.7 km² (339.3 sq mi) in size. It is located in the north-eastern portion, known as "Poconé" Pantanal, not far from the Pantanal National Park. It is a mix of permanent rivers, seasonal streams, permanent and seasonal floodplain freshwater lakes, shrub dominated wetlands and seasonally flooded forests. Despite being privately owned, the reserve is currently entirely and exclusively dedicated to nature preservation.
This park has also been designated a Ramsar Site of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.
[edit] Main cities located inside the Pantanal
- Aquidauana;
- Cáceres;
- Corumbá;
- Coxim;
- Miranda;
- Poconé;
- Barão de Melgaço;
[edit] In fiction
- Large parts of John Grisham's novel The Testament take place in the Pantanal.
- Pantanal is the title of a Brazilian-produced telenovela whose setting was the Brazilian Pantanal.
[edit] References
- ^ Rhett A. Butler. Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, disappearing finds new report. mongabay.com. Retrieved on 2006-01-10.
- ^ The World's largest wetland. The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
- ^ Susan Mcgrath, photo's by Joel Sartore, Brazil's Wild Wet, National Geographic Magazine, August 2005
- ^ Araras Eco Lodge. Pantanal - Brazil's undiscovered wilderness. Ladatco Tours. Retrieved on 2008-01-22.
[edit] External links
- Expedition to the Pantanal
- The WWF ecoregion profile
- World Conference on Preservation and Sustainable Development in the Pantanal
- Ramsar Convention - Pantanal National Park Information Sheet
- Ramsar Convention - Pantanal Private Reserve Information Sheet
- Pressure on the Pantanal article discussing development pressure on the Pantanal by Roderick Eime
- Brazil's other great wilderness Guardian travel article, September 10, 2005.
- World's largest wetland under threat Planet Ark article, January 13, 2006
- A Pantanal Bird List
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