When I was just searching around for information about the Pantanal on Google, I stumbled upon the Brazilian telenovela entitled "Pantanal." As you could guess, it was set in the Pantanal region of Brazil, and it actually (unexpectedly) topped the Brazilian ratings at one point in time. In fact, 216 episodes were produced. It is considered to be one of the best ecological/ environmental telenovelas. Those of us who have watched telenovelas before (perhaps in Spanish class?) know that the genre often dramatizes everyday life.
The Pantanal telenovela was actually set outdoors in a rural setting, introducing viewers to the Pantanal region that many people, even those who live in Brazil, are unfamiliar with. This is really an awesome example of using cultural and media outputs to be able to raise awareness about specific habitats and environmental issues that might otherwise be ignored by the general population. According to what I found online, the telenovela may have had some more explicit content as well. Interestingly it can also be categorized as a "supernatural" telenovela because it is based on a fantasy world wherein individuals can transform into various animals in the Pantanal.
I think this is actually a really awesome example of how very unexpected, non-traditional forms of media can be used to raise awareness about particular issues.
-Nicole
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