In Context
- The world’s largest wetland, known as the Pantanal, in South America is at risk of collapse.
- This is due to a series of local and seemingly minor decisions that fail to account for their cumulative impact on one of Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystems.
About Pantanal Wetlands
- The Pantanal is a natural region encompassing the world’s largest tropical wetland area, and the world’s largest flooded grasslands.
- It is located mostly within Brazil and extends to some portions of Bolivia and Paraguay.
- It is fed through the Paraguay River and tributaries.
- It sprawls over an area estimated at between 140,000 and 195,000 square kilometers.
- Roughly 80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged during the rainy seasons, nurturing a biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helping to support a dense array of animal species.
- It is designated a National Heritage by the Brazilian Constitution and a restricted-use region whose use should be ecologically sustainable.
Source: DTE
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