"Pantanal Forever" - Partners

Pantanal is considered one of the best regions for the organic cattle ranching in Brazil.


Palm trees, favourite food for the Hyacinth macaws (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), Pantanal, Brazil.

Vision for the Pantanal

The WWF-Brazil Pantanal Forever Programme recently formed a partnership with the Brazilian Association of Organic Cattle Ranching (ABPO) as part of a joint initiative to develop economic activities in the Upper Paraguay River basin with lower environmental impact.

The Pantanal Forever Focal Project supports the certified organic way of managing cattle because this method works within high levels of respect to the environment and to the animals' welfare.

The certified organic cattle ranching forbids the systemic administration of chemical drugs on the herd such as growth promoters, steroids, hormones, antibiotics or any other artificial chemical substance. Besides, no chemical fertilizers are allowed on the pastures - that preferably must be native, and no chemical pesticides or herbicides are used on the fields.

The procedures also include: no animal by-products fed to animals, no human sludge used on the fields, no inhumane treatment of animals, no genetically modified (GMOs) crops may be fed and no genetically modified cattle can be used on the flock.

"Our intention is to find the best productive matrix to increase the income of the cattle ranchers, obeying the certified cattle management prescriptions, lowering the impacts of the activity in Pantanal and collaborating to preserve the natural resources", tells Pantanal Forever Focal Project coordinator Bernadete Lange.

"Studies have shown that consumers are willing to pay as much as 30 percent more for organic beef than for beef raised on conventional farms. The partnership with WWF is very important to us because it shows clearly that environmentalists are not only speaking about sustainable development, but already promoting it." Homero Figliolini, Chief Executive Officer, ABPO

Community-owned conservation areas
In mid-2003, the Pantanal Forever Programme achieved an important objective in supporting the establishment of an Association for Owners of Private Reserves of Natural Heritage (RPPN).

These conservation areas on private property are invaluable - the 26 RPPNs in the Mato Grosso do Sul state constitute 80% of the Pantanal area. The Association will organise the RPPNs and formally represent their interests in discussions with the government and other decision makers in the Pantanal.

Ecotropica Institute (NGO)
WWF-Brazil and the Ecotropica Foundation on Mato Grosso do Sul State formalised their commitment to work together to establish an ecotourism model for the Private Reserves of Natural Heritage (RPPN) of Acurizal in July 2003. RPPN Acurizal is part of a Conservation Unit complex declared Natural Heritage by UNESCO. It covers one of the core zones of Pantanal's Biosphere Reserve.

The partnership will cover the development of the main infrastructure needed for implementation, the determination of marketable tourism products and defining operation processes that adhere to the principles of sustainable tourism.

Corporate responsibilities
Influenced by Pantanal Forever Focal Project's work, a new Natural Heritage Private Reserve (RPPN) has been created at the Upper Paraguay River Basin, in the Mato Grosso State. Owned and managed by the Agribusiness Department of the Carrefour Group in Brazil, the Sepotuba Valley Farm had 1,104 hectares of its area registered as a RPPN.

Supporting sustainable tourism
In July 2003, a partnership was formalised between WWF-Brazil and the Ecotropica Foundation of Mato Grosso do Sul to establish an ecotourism for the Private Reserves of Natural Heritage of Acurizal. Acurizal is part of a Natural Heritage area declared by UNESCO and covers the core zones of Pantanal's Biosphere Reserve.

Biological research and species conservation
In a partnership with the National Agriculture Research Agency (Embrapa), WWF has been collecting data to evaluate the direct impact of fishing on the natural Pantanal environment. The result of this research will help establish the measures that will be taken to control sports fishing in the area, supporting the state's ruling over this activity.

Hyacinth Macaw Project
The Hyacinth Macaw Project was established in 1990 by biologist Neiva Guedes and a small team of biologists and local people. It receives support from the Pantanal Forever Programme. The project that includes the monitoring of macaws in nature and monitoring natural and artificial nests has succeeded in bringing this splendid species back from the brink of extinction.

About 3,000 individual birds are monitored over an area of 400,000 hectares in the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso do Sul. The Project has also been successful in engaging the farm workers and ranchers in its activities. WWF provides subsidies for biological studies, while addressing the integration of research efforts, environmental education, public visibility and protection policies.

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