World Heritage Identification Number: 999
World Heritage since: 2000
Category: Natural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil
Continent: Americas
UNESCO World Region: Latin America and the Caribbean
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Exploring the Pantanal Conservation Area: A Unique Tropical Wetland Ecosystem
The Pantanal Conservation Area, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, offers a captivating glimpse into the rich biodiversity and breathtaking landscapes of one of the world's most extensive freshwater wetland ecosystems. Situated in western central Brazil, this protected area spans an impressive 187,818 hectares, representing just over 1% of the vast Pantanal region.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The Pantanal Conservation Area consists of a cluster of four protected areas with a total area of 187,818 ha. Located in western central Brazil at the south-west corner of the State of Mato Grosso, the site represents 1.3% of Brazil's Pantanal region, one of the world's largest freshwater wetland ecosystems. The headwaters of the region's two major river systems, the Cuiabá and the Paraguay rivers, are located here, and the abundance and diversity of its vegetation and animal life are spectacular.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criteria (vii), (ix) and (x): The site is representative of the Greater Pantanal region. It demonstrates the on-going ecological and biological processes that occur in the Pantanal. The association of the Amolar Mountains with the dominant freshwater wetland ecosystems confers to the site a uniquely important ecological gradient as well as a dramatic landscape.
The site plays a key role in the dispersion of nutrients to the entire basin and is the most important reserve for maintaining fish stocks in the Pantanal. The area preserves habitats representative of the Pantanal that contain a number of globally threatened species. The area is a refuge for fauna as it is the only area of the Pantanal that remains partially inundated during the dry season.
Encyclopedia Record: Pantanal
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 the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay. It sprawls over an area estimated at between 140,000 and 195,000 km2. Various subregional ecosystems exist, each with distinct hydrological, geological, and ecological characteristics; up to 12 of them have been defined.Additional Site Details
Area: 187,818 hectares
(ix) — Outstanding example representing ecological and biological processes
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: -17.656 , -57.359
Image
© Alicia Yo, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
