The Pantanal Biosphere Reserve comprises the States of Mato Grosso, Matto Grosso do Sul and a small portion of Goiás State. It covers the headwaters of the rivers that make up the Pantanal, one of the world’s most extensive wetland complexes, internationally known for its large bird, mammal, reptile, fish, insect and amphibian populations.
Description
Map
Surface : 25,156,905
- Core area(s): 664,245 ha
- Buffer zone(s): 5,392,480 ha
- Transition zone(s): 19,100,180 ha
Location: 17°50'S; 56°40'W
Administrative Authorities
Laercio Machado de Sousa
RB Pantanal BR Pantanal President / COBRAMAB Representative for NGOs
Brazil
Tel.: +55 67 9 9960 2666
Email: laerciorppn@gmail.com
Ecological Characteristics
It encompasses both highlands and lowlands, from the large lakes on the border with Bolivia, flood plains, grasslands and highland cerrado in the ‘Chapada dos Guimarães’, ‘Serra de Santa Bárbara’ and ‘Urucum’ mountains, with summits of 1,000 metres above sea level. Other notable ecosystems within the Biosphere Reserve are the seasonally flooded cerrado, highland grasslands, seasonally flooded grasslands, cerradão (forest-like cerrado), deciduous forests, gallery forests, Buriti palm stands, Amazon like-forest, Atlantic Forest influenced forest, Chaco and Chaco Forest.
Socio-Economic Characteristics
There is a strong link between traditional rural human populations and the environment. More than 2,800,000 inhabitants (2001) live in the biosphere reserve. Extensive cattle grazing has been practized widely over most of the lowlands and has been the major economic activity since European colonization began. Ecotourism and recreational fishing are examples of sustainable natural resource use activities that has been strengthened since the biosphere reserve designation.
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Last updated: February 2019