Threats to the Pantanal Biodiversity

I came across the website pantanal.org , there they list several potential harms to the pantanal due to economic and infrastructure development. I thought this was interesting seeing as we learned how in the past trip to Madagascar, students of Dr. Bob were discussing the ethics of their trip and how they could reduce their carbon footprint etc. These examples listed are interesting and we might want to think of ways in which we can minimize our harm to the environment while on the trip.

The GASBOL project caught my eye because I am interested in energy and I thought it we could explore how energy and oil & gas development might harm the region.

This is actually the longest gas pipeline in all of South America and spans a little under 2,000 miles. It brings gas from Bolivia to the Brazilian industrial coast, mainly Sao Paulo and Rio De Janeiro.

The project was developed in two stages and the red part, which spanned past the Pantanal was finished in 1999. The project cost about $2.1 Billion. Although this pipeline has clear economic advantages for both Brazil and Bolivia, the verdict is not our on how much this will affect the Pantanal. I thought this was interesting given the Keystone debate here in the states given the potential harm to natural habitats yet in the worlds most pristine wetlands, such a large pipeline exists.

-Enrique