[news_posted_on] November, 21 2012

By Geralda Magela

Campo Grande (MS), Brazil – A study carried out by a group of NGOs working in the Pantanal, including WWF-Brazil, produced an X-Ray of the dynamics of soil use and occupation and changes in vegetation cover in the Upper Paraguay Hydrographic Basin (BAP in the Portuguese acronym).  This diagnosis, now in its second edition, was launched on Tuesday in Campo Grande (Mato Grosso do Sul state capital city), and delivered to the vice-governor of the state, Simone Tebet.  The data provided by the study will help monitor this hydrographic basin sheltering the Pantanal – the largest floodplain on Earth, and the birth place of wealthy biodiversity. 
 

The study reveals that the floodplain where the Pantanal is located is still well preserved and that 86.2% of its original vegetation is maintained.  Nevertheless, in the basin highlands, the plateau, which is composed of Cerrado areas, and where most of the freshwater sources supplying the Pantanal are located, the rate is only 40.7%.
 

During the 2008-2010 monitoring period, the conversion rate of native areas for entropic use (human action) in the hydrographic plain was 0.80% in the floodplain and 1.56% in the plateau.  Total conversion rate of native areas in the floodplain is 13.8% and 58.2% in the plateau (2010 data).
 

The monitoring study also proved that the segment with the most representative entropic use in the Upper Paraguay Hydrographic Basin (BAP in the Portuguese acronym) continues to be the cattle ranching sector; records show that there was a small increase in the conversion of areas for this use, in comparison to the results from the 2008 survey.  In the floodplain, the conversion of habitats for pastures went from 11.1% up to 11.3%; and in the plateau it went from 43.5% up to 43.9%.  Agriculture (crops) maintained the same conversion rate in the floodplain (0.3%), while in the plateau the rate increased from 9% to 10%.
 

The work was carried out by the following NGOs:  Conservation International, Avina Foundation, SOS Pantanal Institute, WWF-Brazil, and Embrapa Pantanal (the Brazilian Agriculture Research Agency in the Pantanal).  The study was supported by SOS Atlantic Forest and by Ecoa – Ecology and Action.  The technical implementation was done by Arc Plan.  The goal of this study was to provide a tool for the periodic monitoring of the changes in the vegetation cover and the soil use in that region.  The partner organizations intend the data to be used to support environmental policies and actions which may contribute to the Upper Paraguay Hydrographic Basin conservation and, therefore, to Pantanal conservation.
 

Before launching the study, the representatives from partner organizations delivered the monitoring results to the Mato Grosso do Sul state vice-governor, Simone Tebet.
 

During the meeting, the vice-governor said that the study means an important contribution to the state.  She emphasized that one third of the Mato Grosso do Sul state area is composed of the Pantanal, and that the monitoring data will help to establish policies for environmental preservation and other fields of government action.  “The study opens up doors for the search of new social and economic alternatives to value the Pantanal culture and preserve this relevant natural heritage”, stated the vice-governor.
 

The Upper Paraguay Hydrographic Basin is a cross border one and its total area is approximately 620,000 square kilometers, out of which 60% are located within the Brazilian territory, and the rest of it is in Bolivia and Paraguay.  This monitoring, however, only refers to the Brazilian portion of it.  Although the Pantanal is known by its floodplain, most of its freshwater sources are located in the basin highlands, the plateau.  This is why the study analyzes both regions.  And it reveals that the plateau is the part where conversion of native areas was greater. 
 

WWF-Brazil’s Conservation Director, Michael Becker, emphasized that this diagnosis is a monitoring tool which helps to look at the region as a whole.  “Not just the Pantanal, in an isolated view, but the entire hydrographic basin which feeds the floodplain.”  Nevertheless, according to Becker, the study may be expanded through information from other analyses, in order to help identify aspects which were not analyzed by this monitoring work.  He stressed that “the study allows people to qualify and complement the supplied information, based on data from other works which are being carried out by every organization acting in this region”. 
 

According to Becker, the organizations and the governments face the challenge of ensuring the conservation of this natural heritage -- the Pantanal – through valuing the initiatives having lesser impact upon the region.  He illustrated his point by saying that “WWF-Brazil has been acting with this perspective and giving support to sustainable projects in the region, such as the certified organic beef cattle ranching and sustainable production practices”.
 

This is the second monitoring study carried out by the organizations in the Upper Paraguay Hydrographic Basin and it is intended to be repeated every two years.  The first monitoring study, launched in 2010, analyzed the 2002-2008 period.  This new edition refers to the 2008-2010 period, using the data base from the previous study.
 

Data from the study’s first edition were used by 72 research institutions, universities, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations.  “We were surprised with the interest raised by the study”, stated Michael Becker.  Therefore, a website was created for this new edition, to make the information available.   The complete study, as well as the raw data and shapes used in the analysis may be accessed at   www.usoeocupacaobap.org.   The data, however, are only available in the Portuguese language.