Deforestation threatens Brazil’s wetland sanctuary

03/02/2012

CUIABA, Brazil – The Pantanal, a stunning biodiversity sanctuary in central-western Brazil, is threatened by intensive farming and deforestation, a leading environmental group warned as the world marked World Wetlands Day on Feb. 2.

Often referred to as the world’s largest freshwater wetland system, the Pantanal extends through millions of hectares of Brazil, eastern Bolivia and eastern Paraguay.

The Pantanal includes sanctuaries for migratory birds, nursery grounds for aquatic life, and refuges for such creatures as the Yacare caiman, deer and jaguar. Some 4,500 different species live in the Pantanal.

A leading environmental group, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is sounding the alarm about the growing threat to the region posed by intensive farming, deforestation, urban growth and the proliferation of hydro-electric dams.

As evidence the group cites a three-year study by 30 experts from Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, the counties that share the Paraguay River, which flows from its headwaters in Mato Grosso about 2,600 kilometers (1,616 miles) to its confluence with the Parana River in Argentina.

“The Pantanal is under threat,” said biologist Glauco Kimura, who coordinates the Water for Life program at the WWF. “This may seem surprising but it is the sad reality. Our study shows that 14 percent of the Paraguay River basin must be urgently protected.”

Navigating the Cuiaba River, an important Pantanal tributary, escorted by raptors and colorful parrots overhead, Kimura and his team stopped at the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, on a plateau at the edge of the Pantanal.

The threat comes from the highlands, known here as the Planalto, Kimura said.

There are thousands of acres of farmland across the highlands. Soybeans are the region’s biggest crop, but corn, rice, cotton and sugarcane also are planted.

The Pantanal also is at risk from deforestation as cattle farmers cut down trees to make room for land for grazing.

[AFP (Brazil), 03/02/2012; G1 (Brazil), 02/02/2012]