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Brazil Pantanal Research and Conservation
About the Pantanal
Located in the centre of South America, south of the Amazon basin and east of the Andes the Pantanal is an immense, landlocked river delta with annual floodwaters that give birth to a symphony of life. Located in the upper Paraguay River basin, the Pantanal straddles Brazil’s border with Bolivia and Paraguay although about 80 percent of the Pantanal is in Brazil. Ten times the size of the Florida Everglades, the 36.5 million-acre expanse is home to the greatest concentration of fauna in the Americas and is one of our planet's most spectacular wetland systems.
The Pantanal is the world’s largest freshwater wetland, a seasonally flooded plain fed by the tributaries of the Paraguay River. The Pantanal is also one of the world’s most productive habitats. Annual floods, fed by tropical rains, create a giant nursery for aquatic life, including 260 species of fish. As waters recede for the dry season, great influxes of birds and other animals descend—one of the hemisphere’s greatest natural phenomena. This brings with it the legendary pantaneiro, ranchers who have used an open-range method to raise cattle on this floodplain for centuries, which has helped maintain the region’s ecological integrity.
The Pantanal attracts dense populations of animals that feed and breed along its waterways, including giant river otters, jaguars, marsh deer and tapirs. The wetland also provides habitat for more than 650 bird species, including cormorants, egrets, herons, hyacinth macaws, ibis, jabiru storks and roseate spoonbills.
The region, a historically important hunting and fishing ground for Native Americans, has supported cattle ranching for over 200 years. Native vegetation in the region is dominated by seasonally-flooded open grasslands and shrub lands (campo sujo and campo limpo cerrado) and slightly higher forested regions called cordilheiras (cerradão), as well as narrow strips of gallery forest associated with the Rio Correntoso.
Weather
The rainy season generally starts in November and ends in April and the dry season occurs between May and October. The climate is sub-humid with temperatures ranging approximately between 30° C in the wet season and 17° C in the dry season. During the dry season, the temporary ponds are filled with migratory wading birds that feed on fishes trapped in the ponds.
Wildlife
There is a great diversity of aquatic habitats, wildlife, and plant life. The diversity is something that can be witnessed within the first couple of hours after arrival at the farm. While at the research site, it is common to see capybara, caiman, peccaries, numerous birds including toucans and the endangered hyacinth macaw, and a variety of blooming trees all in one day. Bird species include the spoonbills, storks, ibises, herons and egrets. The food is so abundant that you will see all these different bird species feeding together.
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