31 July 2006

The Pantanal experience

If you happen to be in South America and you want to see wildlife, you don´t have to go to the Amazon, just go to the Pantanal.

The Pantanal is a wetland, about twice the size of Greece, spread across Brasil and Bolivia. During the wet season (October-May), water reach 3m above dry-season levels. This seasonal flooding, makes systematic farming impossible, but provide an ecological environment for many plants and animals. Figures reveal the extense of the beauty:

- with 1700 plant species, the vegetation is a combination of savanna, forest, meadow and semiarid land
- 650 bird species make it a paradise for bird watching addicts, just note that 6 different species may nest on a single tree branch
- 260 fish species, fill the numerous rivers and ponds
- 15 million insects, are always there to make your life difficult and your skin full of bites
- 50 reptile species and
- 80 mammals fill this scenery of unique beauty.

You only need to take a boat trip in the river to see the caimans (a cousin of alligator) sunning themselves on the edge of the water and family groups of peacfull capybaras (the world´s largest rodent) playing on the river banks.

And you only need to look up to the trees to see black howler monkeys, kites, storks, toucans, macaws and hudrends of other colorful birds.

And you only need to take a walk to the forest to see marsh deers, anteaters, armadillos, giant anacondas and if you are lucky -that we were- jaguars, the most dangerous animal of the Pantanal.

However there is the other side of the story. The abundance of animals of the Pantanal make them an easy target. An alligator skin can cost up to 500 EUR, for fabrication of wallets, belts, bags, shoes etc. and some rare tropical fish and birds can be sold to American pet shops for up to 10.000 USD.

Hunting is illegal here already since 1967, however the whole Pantanal is private land (fazendas), therefore no enforcement is possible in private land. Usually local fishermen, make some extra money by hunting animals and smuggling them into neigbouring Bolivia. A rough estimation says that about 500.000 animals are killed in the Pantanal every year.

Although the Pantanal is one of Brasil´s least explored regions, tourism is booming, it only remains that the locals will realise the economic potential of tourism, in order to preserve the habitat and improve infrastructure.

But things in South America move slowly. It is funny that exactly 6 years ago, when I was again at the Pantanal it was exactly the same -like now- 2 travel agencies offering the same budget 3-day tour for backpackers. Lodging is basic, roads hardly exist and tours are poorly organised, facts that make the Pantanal experience an exiting trip for backpackers, but keep wealthy tourists far from the region.

To be honest it is still great that such a virgin place is not spoiled by bulk tourism, but we need to admit that the dollars of bird-watchers might be the only salvation for the endagered jacares, macaws and other species.

As for Brasilians, most of them ignore completely the existence of this piece of paradise in the east of their country. For those who can afford tourism, their only destinations are the beaches of the North-East and the shopping streets of Europe and New York...

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