PANTANAL: TARGET OF MODIFICATIONS IN FAVOR OF THE TRANSPORTATION OF "COMMODITIES" THREATEN ITS EXISTENCE

TRANSLATION BY ecology into focus FROM ecoa.org.br REPORT

Article prepared by more than 40 researchers from various areas lists the various impacts that the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway can cause to the Pantanal

 The Paraná-Paraguay Waterway project and its impacts on the Pantanal motivated the elaboration of an article by more than 40 researchers working in the region in areas such as geography, anthropology, fishing dynamics, population ecology and hydrology.

The Paraguay-Paraná Waterway (HPP) is a project to connect Cáceres, in Mato Grosso, to Nueva Palmira, in Uruguay, totaling about 3,400km. For its construction, works of great impact are required such as dredging and straightening of river curves, which can generate irreversible impacts for the environmental, social and economic dynamics of the Pantanal region. Among the points where such works are required are the most preserved regions of the Pantanal, such as the Pantanal Matogrossense National Park and the Taiamã Ecological Station.

The material draws attention to the possible impacts on the Pantanal from the mega-work. Among them are changes in the flood pulse of the Pantanal (periods of flood and drought), severe ecological and cultural damage, social and economic impacts. The researchers also point out that there are alternative means that generate fewer impacts, such as the rail system.

The curves of the Paraguay River need to become straight to allow the continuous flow of vessels

The main objective of the mega-project is to transport soybeans and other agricultural commodities produced in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia south to sea ports in Argentina and Uruguay for export to North America, Europe and Asia.

The intention is to create conditions for the navigation 24 hours a day of ships with a draft of up to three meters, which requires heavy works. It would be necessary to explode rocks, end the curves of the rivers and deepen the bed of the Paraguay River.

The first version of the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway project was planned in the 1980s, but after evidence provided by scientists, as well as demands from society in the face of irreversible and systemic impacts on the Pantanal, the Brazilian part of the project was officially rejected in 2000.

However, in recent years the work began to be carried out in stages, with the issuance of licenses for the construction of ports upstream of the Pantanal near Cáceres (MT) and downstream of the Pantanal in Porto Esperança (MS), which consequently forces the creation of the Waterway between the two points.