Brazil - Pantanal 010524 224 Seiten final lowres - Flipbook - Seite 19
T H E PA N TA N A L
A N AT U R E T R E A S U R E
The Pantanal is the largest and most biodiverse tropical inland wetland and one of the
The landscape of the Pantanal can be divided into different areas. In the north are the
last great wildlife regions on earth. It spans an area of more than 200,000 km2 across
forested grasslands, the so-called Cerrados. They are home to 10,000 different plant
the western Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul in the heart of South
species, 50 percent of which are endemic.
America. Small parts of the wetland extend into the neighbouring countries of Bolivia and
Paraguay. It is a large shallow basin surrounded by mountain ranges. During the rainy
In the south are the wetlands of the Paraguay River basin and crystal-clear rivers such
season, the basin 昀椀lls up like a giant pool. Even in the dry season, water 昀氀ows constantly
as the Salobra River.
into the valley via the many rivers. The north-south slope is about 2 cm per kilometre and
is very 昀氀at. At the end of the dry season, one can still 昀椀nd isolated patches of lush vege-
In the west, one will 昀椀nd the crystal-clear tributaries of the Paraguay River and the Serra
tation and greenery next to the rivers. With the onset of the rain in November, one river
do Amolar mountain range. Unlike the northern hemisphere, this part of the world only has
after the other starts to over昀氀ow its banks. It takes the water four months to 昀氀ow through
two seasons — dry and rainy. The Pantanal receives runoff from the north via the Para-
the whole Pantanal. By March, almost the entire Pantanal is under water. The animals are
guay River. The Paraguay River makes its way through the wetland for several hundred
then scattered and dif昀椀cult to spot. In summer, the water level recedes again, and the
kilometres. With its gentle slope, the water only leaves the lowlands very slowly, causing
animals gather at the few remaining pools and waterholes. This cycle repeats every year.
昀氀oodings in many parts of the lowlands once a year between January and March.
In 2000, the wetland was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Surrounded by
To the east lies the Cerrado, a savanna landscape and water source for Brazil’s largest
mountain ranges, it is a place of extremes, featuring both violent 昀氀oods as well as merci-
drainage basin and therefore also for the Pantanal wetland. The Cerrado highlands are the
less droughts. The Pantanal is home to a total of 11 different ecosystems. It’s a mosaic of
source of the country’s largest and most important rivers, such as the Xingu River, Tocantins
natural habitats, with grasslands, savannas, softwood 昀氀oodplains and wetlands that are
River, Araguaia River, São Francisco River, Parnaíba River, Gurupí River, Jequitinhonha
interlinked in many different ways.
River and Paraná River. The Cerrado is characterised by its vast grasslands and scrublands,
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