Pantanal loses 84% of flooded savanna over 40 years

Pantanal flooded savanna deforestation climate change biodiversity loss

Data from MapBiomas reveals that the Pantanal has lost more than 1 million hectares of flooded savanna between 1985 and 2025. This loss represents 84% of the biome's original flooded savanna, with 833,000 hectares converted into other vegetation types such as savanna or grassland.

Experts warn that the Pantanal is drying out. Forest engineer and botanist Claudinei Terena reports that certain rivers have disappeared or silted up, and natural seasonal channels, known as vazantes, have ceased to function, leaving rivers weakened.

The environmental stability of the Pantanal is deeply interconnected with five surrounding ecosystems: the Cerrado, Amazon, and Atlantic Forest in Brazil, as well as the Chaco and Chiquitano Forest in Bolivia and Paraguay. Conservationists from WWF-Brasil emphasize that the region's vulnerability to climate change is heightened by changes occurring in these neighboring biomes.

Entities

Claudinei Terena · Cyntia Santos · MapBiomas · Pantanal · WWF-Brasil

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] The Pantanal has lost more than 1 million hectares of flooded savanna between 1985 and 2025. www.brasilemfolhas.com.br · pnbonline.com.br · cenariomt.com.br
[● 2 SOURCES] A restoration project has recovered 3.3 hectares of springs within indigenous land. www.brasilemfolhas.com.br · cenariomt.com.br
[● 3 SOURCES] Parts of rivers have disappeared or silted up, and natural seasonal channels known as vazantes no longer exist. www.brasilemfolhas.com.br · pnbonline.com.br · cenariomt.com.br
[● 3 SOURCES] The Pantanal's environmental balance depends on the conservation of the Cerrado, Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Chaco, and Chiquitano Forest. www.brasilemfolhas.com.br · pnbonline.com.br · cenariomt.com.br
[● 3 SOURCES] The loss of flooded savanna represents 84% of the vegetation present at the start of the historical series. www.brasilemfolhas.com.br · pnbonline.com.br · cenariomt.com.br
[● 3 SOURCES] 833,000 hectares of the lost area were converted into other formations, such as savanna or grassland. www.brasilemfolhas.com.br · pnbonline.com.br · cenariomt.com.br

Sources

Pantanal perde 84% de savana alagada em 40 anos [www.brasilemfolhas.com.br]

about 3 hours ago

Pantanal: enfrentar mudanças climáticas depende de outros cinco biomas [pnbonline.com.br]

about 3 hours ago

Pantanal depende de outros biomas para se recuperar [cenariomt.com.br]

about 4 hours ago