The Pantanal is a huge wilderness region of swamps, lagoons, ponds and marshes (see photo.) These wetlands are created by the seasonal flooding of the river Paraguai and its many tributaries located in southwestern Brazil and portions of eastern Bolivia and northern Paraguay. The Pantanl and its diverse environment and eco-regions attract visitors who come for the scenery and wildlife.
Fishing enthusiasts come from all over the world to fish the river systems, lakes and lagoons.The Pantanal is the site of the popular annual International Fishing Festival (FIP) located in Cáceres, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, close to the border with Bolivia. See this interactive map from Expedia.
The festival began in the 1980's and has grown to huge proportions, so much so that it's in the Guiness Book of World Records. About 200,000 thousand people are expected for this year's festival, the 24th FIP, held September 13 - 21. There are daily buses to and from Cuiabá (Mato Grosso) and Santa Cruz (Bolivia) to Cáceres to tansport the crowds to the festival.
In addition to the fishing events, which include many competitions, the Festival is the locale for musical shows, folkloric presentations, a boat show, and an arts and crafts fair. Festival attendees enjoy the reza de santo or saint's prayer, siriri or traditional dance, cururu or traditional dance, as well as typical musical instruments such as the viola de cocho and ganzá. They also eat paçoca, or crushed meat with manioc flour, and patê de jacaré, alligator patê as well as locally caught fish.
A substantial part of the festival concerns environmental issues and concerns, with environmental seminars, emphasizing the "consecration to nature." This is due to the increasing demands on the area from tourism and commercial development and the effect on the Pantanal and the environment. The Pantanal is vast, but it is ecologically sensitive and delicate. Pantanal wetlands are the subjects of biodiversity studies such as the Ações prioritárias para a conservação da biodiversidade do cerrado e Pantanal, The World Conference on Preservation and Sustainable Development in the Pantanal, The Nature Conservancy, and UNESCO.
"The United Nations created a new biosphere reserve in Brazil's Pantanal region, the planet's largest tropical wetland ecosystem. Biosphere reserves are protected ecosystems where priority is given to conservation, research and sustainable development." This article (Brazil Pantanal Area) refers to the plan to develop the Hidrovía Paraná-Paraguay project which would transform the "Paraguay-Paraná-Uruguay-La Plata river system into a 3,400-kilometer long shipping canal."
Some of the other threats to the Pantanal and its environment are illegal fishing and overfishing, poaching and illegal traffic in wildlife species, water contamination, soil erosion and sedimentation of the river systems. Additionally, uncontrolled tourism adds to the ecological problems.
The question for the nations of the Pantanal is how to balance the inevitable growth of the region with the need to conserve and protect the environment. The creation of the small Parque Nacional do Pantanal Matogrossense is a step in the right direction, but more help is needed from the private sector in creating natural preserves on privately owned lands, and from neighboring countries.
Assistance also must come from the tourism industry and infrastructure for the visitors who come to see the array of wildlife, including giant river otters, jaguars, marsh deer, tapirs and more than 650 bird species, including cormorants, egrets, herons, hyacinth macaws, ibis, jabiru storks and roseate spoonbills.
There are a number of ecologically sound lodges, fishing and otherwise, who accommodate the wildlife viewers, but there are others less concerned with the environment.
What can we do to preserve the Pantanal? For one thing, support the environmental efforts already in place, and for another, be a responsible tourist.
To get to the Pantanal, check flights from your area to locations in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. You can also browse for hotels and car rentals.
Have you been to the Pantanal and its fabulous environment? If so, tell us about it on the forum discussion board.
