South of the Amazon and east of the Andes is the world’s greatest wetland: the Pantanal. An ecosystem shared by three countries: Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil; the Pantanal is a World Natural Heritage site. Just as the Amazon is popularly known as the Earth’s lungs, the Pantanal acts as its kidneys. Its seasonal floods, alternating with periods of drought, purifies the waters by retaining sediments, controls the flow of subterranean water, and regulates the water levels of the Paraguay and Parana rivers, acting as a sponge.
Its variety of flora and fauna is a result of a combination of both the terrestrial and aquatic habitats. The Pantanal is a true paradise for birdwatchers, since it is home to numerous aquatic birds such as jabirus, herons, egrets, ducks, storks, etc. To this day, 386 different bird species have been identified in the area. It is also an important point of transit for migratory species. The Pantanal is also home to caimans, boas, capybaras, swamp-deer, otters, armadillos, tapirs, and endangered species such as the crowned eagle, the blue macaw and the jaguar (or yaguareté, as it is known in Paraguay). One hundred and seventy-three species of fish have been identified, as well as 37 species of amphibians, 55 species of reptiles and 91 species of mammals.
The Pantanal is home to the Ishir tribe, also known as the Chamacoco. The Ishir are hunter-gatherers who survive on the natural resources they find around them.
Always keen to setting out on new adventures, Wembe is now partaking in a Biodiversity Conservation Trust in the Paraguayan Pantanal led by a Paraguayan environmental NGO called IDEA (Instituto de Derecho y Economia Ambiental—Environmental Law and Economics Institute). This trust seeks to maintain the biodiversity found in two conservation areas in the Paraguayan Pantanal, Fortín Galpón and Isla del Paraiso (which translates to Paradise Island) so as to ensure that its present pristine conditions survive for many future generations come. This is yet another way in which Wembe seeks to give back to the local environment and communities.
If you would like to know more about the Biodiversity Conservation Trust in the Paraguayan Pantanal, please contact IDEA’s Patricia Abed at patricia.abed@idea.org.py.
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