Farewell to the waters: the Pantanal's crackling farewell
“While all this fire / Crosses the Pantanal
The open veins of me / Dry up fearing the end”
Waters for the Pantanal - Marina Peralta, Alzira and Jerry.
On November 12th, Pantanal Day was celebrated once again. The date was chosen in honor of the struggle of Francisco Anselmo de Barros, an environmentalist who defended the biome even in the way he died, on the date mentioned, in 2005. In the midst of flames set by himself, he ended his life the way he had always led it, as “[...] a priesthood in defense of nature” - as “Francelmo” wrote in his farewell.
The fate of his greatest martyr was as sad as that of his beloved floodplain: by the end of 2024, the aquatic areas that came and went every year, bringing life back to the Pantanal, had been drastically reduced. According to recent data from MapBiomas, a land use and land cover mapping platform in Brazil supported by the Climate Observatory, the loss was 60% compared to the historical average of the last four decades, putting the survival and full functioning of the water kingdom at risk.
And what does this mean? Part of what makes the Pantanal so fascinating is its water dynamics, which, although part of the abiotic portion, seems to have a life of its own: there are two times on the banks of the Paraguay River, the flood and the drought. The annual rainfall regime determines which facet will be observed: the first, as the increasingly pessimistic reports and surveys (which portray nothing more than reality) point out, is getting shorter and shorter. The river no longer fills up, because the rain that was supposed to come doesn't fall, and it's the plains that suffer. The aquatic paradise succumbs, while the Pantanal is elevated to the club of savannized Brazilian biomes.
The second facet exposes the evils of its predecessor. Without moisture, the soil becomes more prone to fires, an exotic element of the biome. Although people still insist that fire is something natural to the biome - which points to a lack of ecological education and knowledge about the country's ecosystems - the flames of the Pantanal, when there was still more control over them, were used in certain situations to manage the soil in a controlled manner. Today, in 2024, the opposite seems to be true: it is the flames that control, or rather decontrol, the structure of the landscape, which is becoming increasingly extinct. Collapsing into ashes.
Ashes that reached the European Parliament gathered for a plenary session in France at the beginning of October. Displayed by MEP Anja Hazekamp, who is also a biologist, they were carried by Luciana Leite, one of the many beasts that fiercely guard the Pantanal. The act, together with the beautiful exhibition “Pantanal: our heritage and our legacy”, aimed to shed light on the biome and its critical situation. In her speech, Anja included the Old World in the list of culprits for the biome's situation: “In Europe, we are complicit in the mass destruction of these fragile and vital forests, savannas and wetlands. The main cause of these fires is relentless deforestation so that farmers can make way for cattle, which become meat and end up on our plates.”
Although the speech is extremely relevant, you don't need to cross the Atlantic to identify the main culprits for the loss of the plains. Following the trend of everything else in the world, the problem is anthropocentric: whether left by people from here or there, human footprints that amplify climate issues and inappropriate land use are the most indelible marks left in the path of progress. In the midst of an unfair race, the Pantanal is heading towards a point of no return. And what has been worrying the most environmentally sensitive people for a long time is gradually - more slowly than it should - affecting the rest of us too.
What is to be done?
Hamlet, in his famous soliloquy, asks about the need to “(...) take up arms against the sea of anguish”. And in the case of the Pantanal, the demand for action is strong. Armed with the will to rise up and protect our common home, Brazil's last heroes, Francelmo's successors, as the great naturalist poet Manoel de Barros coined them, are emerging and resisting every day. There are countless initiatives: popular, raised by members of the environmental community, by a few really concerned politicians. Even if they are successful, if they are contributing to a positive change in the local context, the quorum is low: it needs to increase.
There are many paths and solutions, but a great struggle cannot be won alone. Nor with just one battle. Those who are literally in the crossfire, living the sad reality of goodbye to the waters, have made a difference (at the end, I invite you to follow the work of some of these groups). But if you can't be there, let your conscience awaken to join the cause and call for change. Support and strengthen initiatives that seek to protect the biome, rethink attitudes, vote consciously. Hold your leaders accountable. And, above all, wipe the soot from our eyes - even if it doesn't stop - about the importance not only of the Pantanal, but of all Brazilian biomes and their conservation. In this scenario of uncertainty, may our hope and desire for change be at least perennial.
Pantanal, what is your final destination? Our destiny, after all? Which one, Pantanal?
Oh, Pantanal - Carlos Rennó, Tetê Espíndola and Guilherme Rondon
Next: Chalana Esperança (@chalanaesperança), SOS Pantanal (@sospantanal), Environmental Justice Foundation (@ejfoundation). Your commitment counts for a lot!
Leticia Keiko Nunes de Campos
ODS 13, ODS 14, ODS 15
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