Projects aim to restore springs in the Pantanal

Two ongoing projects are working to restore water springs in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul. The goal is, through awareness and practical actions, to ensure the necessary water quality and quantity for the biome's survival.

This restoration of degraded areas guarantees the sustainable development of the world's largest freshwater wetland. It brings the following benefits:

• Prevents silting of rivers, floods, and prolonged droughts.
• Contributes to carbon sequestration from the environment.
• Conserves habitats for fauna and flora species.
• Preserves air quality.
• Ensures the survival of riverside communities and indigenous village residents.
• Increases food production.
• Promotes pest control through environmental balance.
• Allows ecological connectivity, enabling fauna to move between conserved areas, strengthening ecosystems and increasing their resilience.
• Controls temperature

Therefore, more than just recovering degraded areas, restoring the Pantanal and the Upper Paraguay Basin is a strategic action to protect the environmental and human future of the region.

This is because since the 1960s, Brazil has been undergoing a process of natural environment destruction with the advance of industrial-scale agriculture and inappropriate land use.

In the Pantanal, this degradation is happening later, as the flooded areas and difficulty of access have held back the expansion of plantations.

However, with improved infrastructure, areas are being occupied, causing river silting and drought. Without wetlands and with rising global temperatures, fires are proliferating and have already destroyed 30% of the Pantanal area in the last five years.

Consequently, environmentalists, when analyzing long-term scenarios, observe a trend of gradual temperature increase, more severe and longer droughts, and, as a result, extended and more intense fire seasons.

The Projects

Within this scenario, the "Raízes do Pantanal" (Roots of the Pantanal) and "Caminho das Nascentes" (Path of the Springs) projects emerged.

The first is an initiative of SOS Pantanal with multiple supporters. Its target audience is the communities of the Cachoeirinha Indigenous Land, of Terena ethnicity, located in the Municipality of Miranda, MS.

The restoration of springs aims to bring water back to the community through spring restoration, in addition to planting agroforests to provide food for families and a source of income through planting activities, selling produce, seeds, seedlings, etc., as well as providing tools for the population of these villages to rescue their ancestral knowledge about planting, cultivation, and food production.

"This is essential because where there is territorial security and respect for indigenous rights, there is also less deforestation, less degradation, and more conservation. Furthermore, these populations are the first to feel the impacts of environmental changes — whether from water pollution, fires, or the loss of traditional use areas. Promoting justice for them is also strengthening resistance against external pressures, such as the advance of predatory agribusiness and infrastructure works that affect the region's natural cycles," said Daniella França, biologist and Conservation Programs Coordinator at the SOS Pantanal Institute.

With the project, 11,100 seedlings have already been planted, and six agroforestry systems with native trees and edible plants have been completed. Two hectares around six springs have been restored, and 47 people from the communities have been trained to carry out the actions. It also fenced more than 9 hectares of priority areas, especially degraded areas around springs that are undergoing restoration.

In total, 80 hectares gained extra protection, with fencing and firebreak creation. With these actions, it is estimated that over 100 tons of CO2 have been captured. In addition to helping promote food security for families in the region, over R$ 96,000 has been reverted to the community just through project actions.

Read more about agroforestry here: https://pantanalagency.news/listing/river-dweller-communities-receive-support-for-sustainable-economy-in-the-pantanal/

Read more about SOS Pantanal here: https://pantanalagency.news/listing/book-tells-the-15-year-history-of-sos-pantanal/

SOS Pantanal is also a partner in the "Caminho das Nascentes" project, developed by the Taquari Vivo Institute.

The Taquari River faces a long and severe process of silting due to human actions based on unsustainable land use. The restoration of springs helps reduce erosion, stabilize the soil, increase water infiltration, and maintain water flow even during dry seasons.

This river flows into the Pantanal, a biome highly dependent on natural flood and drought cycles. The compromise of the springs directly affects the Pantanal's water dynamics, as the water arrives more laden with sediments, alters the course of rivers, floods become uncontrolled, and entire areas can become permanently flooded or, conversely, too dry.

Read more about the Taquari River here: https://pantanalagency.news/listing/project-and-government-invest-more-than-us-1-million-to-recover-the-taquari-river-in-pantanal/

The project directly impacts rural landowners in the Taquari Basin, but indirectly, the positive impacts will be felt throughout the Pantanal.

Over the four years of the project, it aims for soil recovery and restoration of 378 hectares in the Taquari region, in addition to implementing collaborative actions with public and private partners, structuring a research base in the region, planting 100,000 native Cerrado seedlings, 8 tons of native seeds, and producing workshops and informative materials on the project's subject and interest.

Important actions, but not enough to guarantee the preservation of the springs, according to Daniella França.

"They are a very important and urgent step because they directly act on the recovery of degraded areas and the strengthening of communities that traditionally care for these territories. However, for these projects to have a lasting impact, they need to be accompanied by consistent public policies, effective oversight, and a development model that respects ecological limits. If restored areas are surrounded by deforestation, mining, or intensive agriculture without environmental criteria, the spring remains vulnerable."

Furthermore, she says it is necessary to guarantee legal security for local populations, especially indigenous and traditional ones, with land demarcation, access to resources, and technical support for sustainable practices to strengthen long-term conservation, as these communities act as true guardians of these environments.

"It's no use restoring springs within an indigenous territory if, in the surroundings, we have mining companies and agriculture or agribusiness in general, predatory to these indigenous lands. Therefore, restoration and socio-environmental justice projects are an essential part of the solution, but they need to be part of a broader effort that involves governments, the private sector, and civil society, with a long-term vision and real commitment to protecting water and life," the biologist concluded.