The Pantanal lies in the central western Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul as well as eastern Bolivia and northern Paraguay. Its total area is some 239,000 sq. kms (92,000 sq. miles) with 139,000 sq. kms (54,000 sq. miles) within Brazil. Thus in total it is slightly larger than Romania in Europe and nearly as large as the state of Michigan in the USA. That part within Brazil is slightly smaller than England and slightly larger than the state of Arkansas in the USA.
Although the word " pantano " means swamp in both Spanish and Portuguese, the Pantanal is not a swamp, although it may appear to be one at certain times of the year. It is in fact a vast alluvial plain with a slight north-south gradient. It provides a gigantic natural control mechanism for the flood waters resulting from the torrential rain during the wet period, which is usually from the end of October to the end of April.
Soon after the rain starts the rivers overflow, not only the great River Paraguay, which flows from the north through the western Pantanal forming the border between Brazil and its two neighbours, Bolivia and Paraguay, but also its tributaries such as the São Lourenço, Cuiabá, Taquari, Miranda, Negro and Aquidauana, which flow west through the Pantanal area to the River Paraguay.
The water spreads out until the entire area is deluged to a depth of up to 3 or 4 metres (10 to 13 ft) except for the characteristic vegetation islands called cordilheiras. In years when there is especially heavy rain, bridges and roads are swept away around the periphery and cities such as Corumbá on the Brazilian border to Bolivia are seriously flooded.
The " dry " period usually starts at the end of April and lasts until October. As the temperature rises the river levels drop, the flood waters recede and evaporate until much of the Pantanal becomes a huge grassy plain on which the cattle are driven for fattening up for market. There are still many areas where there are lakes, lagoons and saline pools, but these gradually diminish in size.
There are no roads in the Pantanal except for the Transpantaneira, a raised dirt road that that runs for 145 km (90 miles) with some 90 little wooden bridges due south from the town of Poconé , which is located 100 km (60 miles) south-west of Cuiabá, to Porto Joffre. Originally the Transpantaneira was intended to extend further south-west to Corumbá, but lack of finance, technological problems as well as ecological considerations resulted in the road terminating at Porto Joffre, a small collection of buildings with a landing stage.. The raised dirt road was created by excavating either side of it and the resulting huge ditches remain filled with water throughout the year and provide refuge for wild life during the long dry period.
Die Viehwirtschaft im Pantanal
Most of the land in the Pantanal is privately owned. Only the Transpantaneira and a narrow strip of land on either side as well as the Parque Nacional do Pantanal Matogrossense is in public ownership and administered by IBAMA, the Brazilian environmental government agency.
The area is divided up into vast ranches where raising cattle and horses is the main economic activity. The soil in the Pantanal itself is very sandy with low fertility, particularly in the south where there is a high sodium content, although the organic material left by the annual flooding is sufficient for the grasses on which the cattle graze.
Fishing is another economic activity, both for the table and, above all, for recreational purposes. Only fishing lines with hooks are permitted and 30kg is the maximum catch per person. The variety of fish is great including dorado, fresh-water skate, piranha, pintado and pacu - all excellent eating fish.
As the last great remaining wetland in the world the wildlife in the Pantanal is truly amazing and it is very conspicuous compared to other areas in Brazil and elsewhere in South America. It includes the following:- (N.B none of the lists below are exhaustive except for the parrots)
Birds
The Pantanal is a paradise for ornithologists. As there are believed to be nearly 700 species of birds there, it would be impossible to include them all here, but you will see many of the following:-
anhinga - biguá - Anhinga anhinga
black vulture - urubu - Coragyps atratus
buff-necked ibis - curicaca - Theristicus caudatus
chacalaca - arancuã - Chaco chacalaca
crested screamer - tachá - Chauna torquata
curassow - mutum - Crax alector
herons - soco, maguari etc. - Ardea sp.
horned screamer - anhuma - Anhima cornuta
jabiru stork - tuiuiú - Mycteria americana
ovenbird - joão-de barro - Furnarius rufus
kingfishers - martim pecador - Chloroceryle sp.
muscovy duck - pato-do-mato - Casrina moschata
orange-backed oriole - joão-pinto - Icterus croconotus
red-crested cardinal - cardeais - Paroaria coronata
red-throated piping guan - jacutinga - Pipile nattereri
rhea - ema - Rhea americana
roseate spoonbill - colhereiro - Ajaia ajaja
seriema - siriema - Cariama cristata
southern lapwing - quero quero - Vanellus chilensis
snowy egret - garça branca - Egretta trula
stork - cabeça-seca - Mycteria americana
toco toucan - tucanaçu - Ramphastos toco
woodpecker - pica pau rei - Campephilus robustus
One of the most spectacular sights in the Pantanal is that of the rookeries on communal nesting trees called ninhais locally. There may be many thousands of aquatic birds there with different species occupying different levels in the trees. Quite separate from these are the night roosting sites known as dormitórios, which which also provide shelter for many thousands of these birds.
Raptors
With so many bird species as well as much other prey such as snails, frogs and fish there are also many raptors, many specialist
caracara - caracará - Polyborus plancus
falcons - gavião - Falconidae sp.
hawks
eagles
kites
Parrots
There are 15 species of parrots in the Pantanal and the website editor has now seen them all. The open landscape means that parrots are more conspicuous than elsewhere in the world where one often only hears a whirr of wings or a flash of colour accompanied by a screech. I would suggest that the Pantanal is the second best location after Australia to see parrots in the wild.
blaze-winged conure - Pyrrhura devillei
blue and yellow macaw - arara canindé - Ara ararauna
blue-fronted amazon - papagaio verdadeiro - Amazona aestiva
blue-winged parrotlet - tuim - Forpus xanthopterygius
canary-winged parakeet - Periquito-de-asas-amarelas - Brotogeris versicolorus
green-cheeked conure - Pyrrhura molinae
green-winged macaw - arara-vermehla - Ara chloroptera
hyacinthine macaw - arara azul grande - Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
monk parakeet - caturitá - Myiopsitta monachus
nanday conure - jandaia de cabeça negra - Nandayus nenday
peach-fronted conure - jandaia estrela - Aratinga aurea
red-shouldered macaw - arara-nanica - Ara nobilis
scaly-headed parrot - maitaca-verde - Pionus maximiliani
yellow-collared macaw - ararinha - Ara auricollis
yellow-faced amazon - Amazona xanthops
Reptiles
alligator - jacaré - Caiman yacare
anaconda - sucuri - Eunectes murinus
caiman lizard - vibora - Dracaena paraguayensis
iguana - sinimbu - Iguana tuberculata
Mammals
There are believed to be nearly 70 species of mammal in the Pantanal
including
agouti - local name cutia - Latin Dasyprocta aguti
armadillo - tatu - Tolypeutes tricinctus
capybara - capivara - Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
coati - quati - Nasua nasua
fishing bat - morcego pescador - Noctilio leporinus
giant anteater - tamanduá-bandeira - Myrmecophaga tridactyla
giant otter - ariranha - Pteronura brasiliensis
howler monkey - bugio preto - Alouatta caraya
maned wolf - lobo-guará - Chrysocyon brachyurus
marsh deer - cervo pantaneiro - Blastocerus dichotomos
monkey - macaco - Cebus apella
jaguar - onça - Panthera onca
ocelot - jaguatirica - Panthera pardalis
peccary - queixada - Tayassu albirostris
porcupine - ouriço - Coendou paraguayensis
tapir - anta - Tapirus terrestris
Wie kommt man hin and wenn einmal dort, wohin?
The website editor recommends the Lonely Planet guide to Brazil. He has used this to good effect on every trip to Brazil since 1990. The section on the Pantanal is excellent.
The Brazilian Pantanal is accessible from the north via Cuiabá, the capital of the state of Mato Grosso and from the south via Campo Grande, capital of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
Cuiabá was founded in 1719 and is today a busy industrial and commercial centre with 500,000 inhabitants. It is well served by air as well as overnight bus from Sao Paulo. There are a number of vehicle rental companies at the airport and in the city centre. It is not possible to hire a 4WD, but during the dry season (May to October), when it is in any event most advisable to travel there, the Transpantaneira should be negotiable with a normal vehicle.
There are a number of ranches (fazendas), which can provide accommodation and food in styles ranging from basic to comfortable. The website editor has stayed at the Pousada das Araras (30 km from the park entrance), the Fazenda Hotel Beira Rio (70 km from the entrance) on the south bank of the River Pixaim, which has a restaurant and air-conditioning as well as the very basic Pousada O Pantaneira with two rooms (110 km from the entrance). The latter is only 5 km from a government research centre. It's here where the website editor was woken before dawn in July 1995 by Hyacinthine Macaws flying over the building. The previous evening whilst dining on the veranda he saw seven different species of parrot making their way to roosting sites around the lodge.
When accessing the Pantanal from the south you travel from Campo Grande founded in 1875 and today a thriving modern city of 300,000 people along the main highway towards Corumbá. This road is paved for most of the distance of 400 km (250 miles), although parts can be potholed and in general poor condition.
Try to visit the city museum called Museu Dom Bosco in Campo Grande before you leave for the Pantanal. It has an excellent collection of taxidermy of Pantanal wildlife as well as native artifacts. You can buy very reasonably priced local handicrafts there as well as the Casa de Artesão on Avenida Alfonso Pena, the main street of Campo Grande.
Halfway to Corumba lies the town of Miranda with good accommodation in several hotels. The famous Pousada Caiman is located 36 km (22 miles) northeast of the town along a dirt track. It provides probably the most luxurious accommodation in the Pantanal. The price charged is an all-in rate for room, meals and activities, including horse-riding and boating. It has a swimming pool and a bar and a resident group of Hyacinthine Macaws close to the main building. It was at the Pousada Caiman that we saw the Blaze-winged Conure (Pyrrhura devillei). Much of the early field work on the Hyacinthine Macaw was carried out here and its owner, Roberto Klabin has generously provided a base for the Projeto Arara Azul managed and operated by Neiva Guedes.
If you travel further west for 100 km (60 miles) you will arrive at a T-north junction called Passo do Lontra. If you turn off here and drive some 35 km (22 miles) along the road you will find two lodges of interest - the Fazenda Santa Clara and the Pousada Arara Azul, where Neiva Guedes was based for much of her early work on the Hyacinthine Macaws.
There is a link on the website to information on eco-tourism in the Pantanal, which includes most of the lodges and ranches mentioned above.
Thanks to the efforts of Neiva Guedes and other field-workers during the past eight years, ranchers and their employees have become much more aware of conservation and the important role they play in it. They no longer allow people to trap wild-life on their property and keep a lookout for strangers. They are developing accommodation for eco-tourism from within Brazil and abroad. Since the popular soap opera based on a family in the Pantanal has been running in Brazil, there is much more general awareness and interest in the region.
Until recently the main threats to the Pantanal were pollution in the northern part from fertilizer runoff and soil erosion into tributaries of the main rivers because of banana cultivation and localised atmospheric pollution with poisoning because of the gold-mining activities around Poconé, some of which is poisoning the water and sediment.
In the south the problem lies in deforestation along the southern edge of the Pantanal. We have noticed a dramatic increase in the last five years, which, for example, has resulted in the loss of a large dormitory for Amazon parrots just off the main highway some 25 km (15 miles) east of the junction at Passo do Lontra. We took video film there six years ago of hundreds of Amazons arriving for the night.
The land in the southern Pantanal is being cleared to cultivate soya and wheat on a grand scale. This is being achieved by use of artificial fertilizers as well as pesticides. This agricultural development has played a part in the planning of the huge Hidrovia project, which now threatens the whole of the Pantanal.
All in all the Pantanal is regarded as an enormous settling pond with virtually no flushing mechanism, in which toxic substances could build up exponentially to catastrophic levels
The Paraná river and its major tributary, the River Paraguay, form the second largest river system in South America after the Amazon. The system has been used to transport goods since pre-history. With the advent of steam, this increased dramatically resulting in the rapid settlement of north-eastern Argentina and Paraguay.
However the River Paraguay is not navigable for much of the year in its northern reaches. Thus it cannot be used commercially for transporting cargo to and from cities such as Caceres or even Corumbá.
The main objective of the Hidrovia project is to straighten and deepen the bed of the River Paraguay for much of its northern part to allow large barges to be used to transport grain, soya and manufactured goods from river ports in eastern Bolivia and western Brazil down to the deepwater ports of Buenos Aires in Argentina and Montevideo in Uruguay.
Although these would appear on the face of it to be a sensible solution there are serious drawbacks from an ecological standpoint and also possible catastrophic consequences in years of heavy rain.
If the River Paraguay could be straightened and deepened by dredging, the water generated by the seasonal rains will flow downstream in far greater volume and speed than at present. The control mechanism of the Pantanal would be disrupted and water levels in the area drop with devastating effect on the wildlife there.
An American hydrologist has calculated that a 10 cm (4 ins) drop in the water level would result in a loss of 9%, 25 cm (10 ins) 22% and 50 cm (20 ins) 45% of the total area of the Pantanal.
Some years ago relatively minor works were carried out to straighten and deepen the River Rhine in Germany in its upper reaches for similar reasons to those given for the Hidrovia project. As a result in years of heavy snow in the Alps, the meltwater speeds off downstream instead of flooding the meadows in the foothills, joins the meltwater from other tributaries, particularly the Moselle, and causes serious flooding in the lower reaches of the Rhine in the Netherlands. The last time this occurred two years ago the centres of cities like Cologne were flooded and large areas of the Netherlands had to be evacuated. Prolonged heavy rain in the Rhine area also causes grave concern and in early November 1998 flood water again rose 10 metres (35 feet) almost to the top of the embankment walls at Cologne, which had already been raised after the last serious flooding.
Similar works, although not on the scale planned for the River Paraguay, have also been carried out on the Mississippi with results similar to those on the Rhine, but even more devastating.
There could also be considerable silting of the lower reaches of the River Paraguay and River Paraná with devastating effect on the existing river traffic.
Further information and articles on the Hidrovia appear elsewhere on the website. The website editor believes that the words of Horace written 2,000 years ago and quoted on the home-page of the Blue Macaws website sums up the situation.
Conservationists in Europe and North America should make every effort to inform big business in their countries of the ecological damage of the Hidrovia project and discourage it from involvement as well as provide help and support to conservationists in the southern cone countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
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