Pantanal

The Pantanal is the world’s largest wetland area, a flat landscape, with gently sloping and meandering rivers. It floods during the wet season, submerging over 80% of the area, and nurturing the world's richest collection of aquatic plants.

It is situated in South America, and 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 biosphere. The Pantanal is mostly found within Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, which are states of Brazil. There are also small portions which are within Bolivia, and a small amount in Paraguay. In total, the Pantanal covers over 200,000 square kilometers.

This ecosystem is home to a known 3,500 species of plants, as well as over 650 birds, and 400 species of fish. The Pantanal is a natural home for the Hyacinth Macaw. This bird is endangered due to its States dollar|US$" target="_blank" >^*10,000 price tag on the black market. Other threatened species include the Jaguar, Maned Wolf, Giant Otter, Giant Armadillo,Capybara and Brazilian Tapir.

The Pantanal has an average yearly rainfall of 1,000-1,400 mm, but is fed by the Upper Paraguay River. Its average temperature is 25 °C, but temperatures can conceivably fluctuate from 0 to 40 °C.

During the rainy season (December to May), the Pantanal water levels will 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.

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.

In fiction

Large parts of John Grisham's novel The Testament take place in the Pantanal.

External links

The WWF ecoregion profile
World Conference on Preservation and Sustainable Development in the Pantanal
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

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In fiction

External links