THE PANTANAL

The Pantanal is an ecological paradise. A unique biome in one of the most fascinating regions of the planet, the Pantanal was declared a “Biosphere Reserve” and a “Natural Heritage Site” by UNESCO. It covers an area of 230,000 square kilometres and is full of wildlife.

A large part of the Pantanal lies in the State of Mato Grosso. Within this area is the Mato Grosso Pantanal National Park, which was created on 24 September 1981. The Pantanal has a tropical and humid climate, with September and October being the driest months.

The vast Pantanal is the largest floodable wetland in the world and is formed by the Paraguay River Basin and by the cyclical pattern of the waters. This phenomenon, which has been repeating for millions of years, has transformed the Pantanal into its current diversity of fauna and flora. The Paraguay River is the most important river flowing into this ecosystem, and 170 other rivers run together to form this ecological sanctuary.

Flooding occurs between December and May forcing the animals to seek higher ground. In May, the rains cease but the water level remains high and the strength and beauty of the vegetation is greatly admired by tourists from all over the world.

The WWF has recorded in the Pantanal 1,132 species of butterflies, 656 species of birds, 122 species of mammals, 263 species of fish and 93 species of reptiles. The Pantanal is the only place in the world with three ecosystems: Amazon Jungle, Cerrado and Pantanal.