UNESCO/Toson-Khulstai Biosphere Reserve
Pantanal
General information
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.
Detailed information
Key data
Year of nomination
2000
Country
Brazil
Total population
2880400
Area
Surface
25,156,905.00 ha
Total terresterial area
25,156,905.00 ha
Location
Latitiude: -17.6559 - Longitude: -57.359
Contact
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-Economics 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 sincethe biosphere reserve designation.