Protecting the world's largest tropical wetlands
Located in the Paraná River Basin, the Pantanal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest tropical wetlands in the world. As well as being home to numerous endangered species, including the jaguar, the giant otter, the giant armadillo and the giant anteater, the Pantanal is a natural flood buffer and a vital carbon sink, stabilising the global climate. It also supports around 1.5 million people, from major towns to indigenous communities, across Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil, whose livelihoods depend on the health of the land.
To learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals verified by the standard for this project, please check the project's registry link above.
From illegal deforestation to wildfires and floods, the Paraná River Basin is in need of conservation to protect its biodiversity.
This project aims to protects 135,000 hectares of the Pantanal by working together with local communities, key stakeholders and technical experts to prioritise and generate action against the main drivers of deforestation in the region. In particular, the project takes key actions to combat wildfires, which devastated large parts of the ecosystem in 2020. The strategic focus areas, include strengthening: governance, biodiversity monitoring, environmental education, restoration activities, ecotourism, research, and fire prevention across the Pantanal.
The Serra do Amolar REDD+ project aims to conserve 140,506 hectares of the Pantanal by fighting deforestation and supporting local communities to create conservation programs that prevent forest fires.
This project is a milestone for global climate action. The project protects and supports the wetland’s rich biodiversity, unseen anywhere else in the world while also restoring parts of the ecosystem destroyed by recent wildfires. Furthermore, the socioeconomic co-benefits promote positive sustainable development, driving poverty reduction and empowering the local community, by strengthening local governance and providing long-term employment opportunities to make it beneficial to work with nature rather than against it.
PhD. Leticia Larcher, Executive Secretary of Instituto Homem Pantaneiro, discusses how her position has empowered her as a woman working in conservation as part of the Serra do Amolar Project
The empowerment of local communities and the strengthening of their governance systems, as well as the improvement of communication systems and the growth of local economies.
The project has so far supported the planting of 25,000 seedlings to help restore degraded areas. Fire surveillance and fighting capabilities have been put in place. Wildlife monitoring is also supported.
Providing long-term employment opportunities that support conservation efforts, such as eco-tourism, helps reduce deforestation and poverty by making it more beneficial to work with nature than against it.
Creation of the Eng Eliezer Batista Natural Heritage Private Reserve
Pantanal headwaters; Pantanal cats; Amolar experience
Feasibility study and due diligence of REDD+ project
Implementation of fire-fighting activities
