The Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, is on fire. This precious ecosystem, teeming with unique flora and fauna, should be treasured. Instead, it is being pushed to extinction by the climate crisis and agribusiness. This year alone, over two million hectares of the Pantanal have been reduced to ash. The ancestral lands of the Kadiwéu and Guató Indigenous peoples, where they have lived sustainably for generations, were engulfed in flames. Hundreds of unique animals have been killed, and a once vibrant wetland is drying up. This is part of an appalling pattern of recent fires. In 2020, one-third of the biome burned, killing 17 million vertebrates and releasing 115 million tons of carbon dioxide, the same as Belgium’s emissions for the entire year. The ecosystem has struggled to recover since, and the situation so far this year is even worse, with twice as much destruction compared to the same period in 2020. Many species rely on a healthy Pantanal to survive: over 2000 plants, 580 birds, 271 fish, 174 mammals and 57 amphibians, many of which are endangered or threatened. It is ordinarily a sanctuary for charismatic wildlife. It’s home to jaguars, giant anteaters, hyacinth macaws, tapirs, marsh deer, and many more. However, the fires turned what should be a refuge into an inescapable deathtrap. Recently, jaguars were rescued in the southern Pantanal in Mato Grosso do Sul suffering from second and third-degree burns on all four paws. Image via Flickr by Álvaro Rezende / Governo de Mato Grosso…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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