The Pantanal landscape – credit, Filipe Frazao, CC 3.0 BY-SA
Brazilian environmental authorities have increased the size of a key national park by more than 25% of its original size.
That might not sound like much on paper, but Pantanal Matogrossense National Park was 523 square miles, and it was just expanded by 185 square miles—almost the equivalent of adding America’s Redwoods National Park to it.
The expansion will protect “one of the richest and most sensitive biomes on the planet” in the form of the Pantanal, the world’s largest flooded grasslands. Here live 463 species of birds, 269 species of fish, over 100 species of reptiles and amphibians, and more than 236 species of mammals: including the tapir, the giant otter, the giant armadillo, the giant anteater, and the largest concentration of jaguars on Earth.
According to Brazilian outlet Fato Paulista, the expansion “meets a long-standing demand from experts and environmentalists, who have highlighted the need for greater protection for critical breeding areas” for many of these animals.
The administration of the territory is under the responsibility of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) which identified key biological corridors used by the park’s wildlife to move in and out of the protected area.
These corridors are crucial to maintaining genetic diversity, particularly of endangered species inside the park, and maintaining them requires consultation and cooperation with local landowners.
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Pantanal Matogrossense was designated a wetland of international importance under the United Nation’s Ramsar Convention 33 years ago, and it is according to the spirit of that convention that more and more of the Pantanal biome is being protected as it faces continued threats to its landscape integrity.
Among these are fires and droughts, but ensuring the Pantanal and the rivers which feed it remain free from harm can help the land retain its characteristic sponginess key to its resiliency.
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