Brazil’s plan to turn the Pantanal into waterway threatens world’s biggest wetland
As the evening sky turns violet, the animals of the Pantanal gather near the water. Capybaras swim in tight formation, roseate spoonbills add smudges of pink to the riverbanks, the rumble of a jaguar pulsates from the forest.
This tropical wetland is the largest on Earth, stretching across Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, and playing host to some of the greatest gatherings of animals anywhere.
Now, scientists say the survival of the entire biome is at risk.
“The Pantanal is like Noah’s Ark. It is home to animals that are disappearing … a place where those at risk of extinction can survive,” says Pierre Girard, a professor at the Federal University of Mato Grosso.
“That could be about to change,” he says. “The Pantanal, as we know it, could soon cease to exist.”
