News Excerpt:
Brazil's Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland, is under severe threat as wildfires rage through the region.
About the news:
Severity of wildfires:
- Close to 32,000 hectares have already been destroyed by the fires in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
- The number of fires so far in 2024 is the highest since 2020, which was the worst year on record in terms of Pantanal fires.
- The number of fires from the start of the year up to 9 June has been 935% higher than in the same period last year, according to figures from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
Challenges for the Firefighters:
- This year's wildfire season has started earlier and is more intense than in previous years.
- Efforts to extinguish the flames were being hampered by high winds.
- The region has also seen less rain than in other years, which has made it easier for the fires to spread.
Environmental State of Emergency:
- Mato Grosso do Sul state authorities declared an environmental state of emergency in April, saying low levels of rainfall were creating ideal conditions for wildfires.
- The situation would probably deteriorate further at the peak of the dry season in August and September.
About the Pantanal Tropical Wetland:
- The name “Pantanal” comes from the Portuguese word pântano, meaning wetland, bog, swamp, or marsh.
- It is the world's largest tropical wetland, covering 42 million acres.
- It spans across three countries: Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.
- The Pantanal is one of the most biologically rich environments on the planet, home to over 4,700 plant and animal species such as jaguars, giant ant-eaters, and giant river otters.
- From October to March, the Pantanal fills with floodwaters, which then drain slowly from April to September. This cycle supports aquatic habitats, nutrient renewal, and flood control.
- The region supports cattle ranching, soy production, and tourism activity.
Conservation:
- This area faces growing threats from unsustainable infrastructure development, pollution, and deforestation. Over 12% of its forest cover has been lost. At the current rate, the Pantanal’s native vegetation will disappear by 2050 if no measures are taken to combat this trend.
- Inadequate planning of development by any of the three countries has the potential to negatively impact not only the region's lucrative economy and the well-being of its inhabitants but also the stability of the world’s fifth-largest basin, the Rio de la Plata, where the Pantanal is located.
- The Tri-national Initiative for the Integrated and Sustainable Development of the Pantanal involves Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.
- The initiative was reinforced by a Tri-national declaration signed at the 8th World Water Forum in 2018, focusing on pollution reduction, water governance, climate change mitigation, scientific research, and indigenous rights protection.
