The State government of Mato Grosso do Sul, including around two thirds of the Pantanal, the biggest wetland in the world, has recently approved the Pantanal Law, a groundbreaking piece of legislation that will provide the legal framework to help the conservation, protection, restoration, and sustainable management of the biome in the state, foster sustainable development and a more comprehensive and strategic approach to fire management practices in the region.
The new ‘Pantanal Law’ was presented in a meeting with Secretary of Environment of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Jaime Verruck and his team at the Brazilian Mission to Europe on 6th March in Brussels.
Dr Chris Baker, director of Wetlands International Europe, congratulated the state representatives for taking this step and choosing to build it upon a bottom up consultation with the local stakeholders. Wetlands International has supported this effort through its Corredor Azul programme and looks forward to helping to make the law and its key instruments a success.
Dr Chris Baker in a bilateral conversation presented our call for an EU Wetland Partnership for the Pantanal to support the state to sustainably manage the biome and guarantee the prosperity of communities that inhabit this vast wetland.
The initiative got the endorsement of the state representatives as they strongly believe that the EU Wetland Partnership for the Pantanal could support Mato Grosso do Sul state achieve the new law’s objectives, including the Climate Fund, fire management support and community empowerment.