The whole Pantanal, not just the half
The Pantanal, in the heart of South-America, on the border of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, is the largest freshwater wetland in the world and has an extremely rich biodiversity. The local population lives mainly from fishing and tourism. The Pantanal has a water managing function for an area stretching even to the La Plata area in Argentina, some 1,500 kilometers away.
For more than 20 years, Both ENDS has been supporting local organisations in the Pantanal fighting for the sustainable management of this beautiful area. One of the threats to the Pantanal is the soybean production in and around the area. The adjustments of the Paraguay - Paraná river for the cheap transportation of commodities for export, is – again - high on the agenda. This will make soy production in the Pantanal even more attractive.
‘The whole Pantanal, not just the half' was recently published to bring the current developments into the picture. It was produced with the support of the Ecosystem Alliance, collaboration between Both ENDS, IUCN NL and Wetlands International. The purpose of the publication is twofold. On the one hand, local organisations use it to enter into an informed dialogue in the region. On the other hand, we ask policy makers and companies in Netherlands and Europe, who have committed themselves to make the soy chain more sustainable, to take into account the developments in the Pantanal. Europe and the Netherlands should commit to not buying any soy produced in the Pantanal. Similar agreements already exist regarding soy from other fragile areas, such as the Amazon region.
Themes
Read more about this subject
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With our Wetlands without Borders program, we work towards environmentally sustainable and socially responsible governance of the wetlands system of the La Plata Basin in South America.
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In September 2019, the streets of Jakarta were filled with angry demonstrators protesting against the Omnibus Employment Law. The law will ease the rules for mining, make it much more difficult to hold companies liable for criminal acts and severely restrict the power of the national anti-corruption committee. At the moment, such protests are completely impossible in Indonesia because of the COVID-19 crisis and the associated lockdown measures. And Indonesian people already had few other means of exerting influence on decision-making and legislative processes.
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News / 29 juni 2020Global civil society pushes for mandatory environmental and human rights rules in the EU
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News / 14 juni 2019Both ENDS partner TUK presents symbolic tree to Dutch minister Schouten
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The rising demand for soy is having negative consequences for people and the environment in South America. Both ENDS reminds Dutch actors in the soy industry of their responsibilities and is working with partners on fair and sustainable alternatives.
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News / 2 november 2015Not soy, but music in the Brazilian Pantanal!
The Pantanal, in the heart of South America, at the border of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, is the world’s largest freshwater wetland with an extremely rich biodiversity. Tourism and fishing are the main sources of income for the local population. This enormous natural area is invaluable for the water management of a large part of the continent, stretching all the way down to the Argentinian La Plata area, some 1,500 kilometres away. The area faces many threats and Both ENDS therefore already started actively supporting local organisations striving to protect the Pantanal in 1994.
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News / 26 september 2018Temporary ban on new hydro dams in the Brazilian Pantanal
Good news from Brazil! The National Water Agency (ANA) has stopped issuing new permits for the construction of hydroelectric dams in the Brazilian Paraguay river basin, which is part of the Pantanal wetlands in South-America. The suspension will last at least until May 2020, after the publication of a comprehensive socio-economic and environmental impact assessment that the ANA started in 2016.
