CMI Researcher Interviewed for Documentary on the Pantanal
Last month, AOS postdoctoral research associate and CMI contributor Caio Mattos participated in a documentary in his native country, Brazil. The documentary A Seca no Pantanal: 2019 a 2022 (The drought in Pantanal: 2019 to 2022) is a production of the MapBiomas and Documenta Pantanal initiatives. The documentary takes us on a journey through the devastating effects of drought and wildfires in the Pantanal, the largest tropical wetland in the world, situated mostly in the southwestern state of Mato Grosso in Brazil. The audience observes the effects of drought through the lens of cattle ranchers, conservationists, local communities, and scientists. The film then reflects on the future of this delicate ecosystem under a changing climate. Mattos was interviewed in the documentary as an expert on the hydrology-ecosystem connection in the Pantanal.
Decades of land use change around the Pantanal have drastically altered the wetland’s flooding regime, leading to widespread decline in water levels and forcing the ecosystem out of its equilibrium point. With increased droughts predicted in the region for the next decades, other scientists and Mattos discuss the future of the Pantanal and what can be done to mitigate some of these changes. The documentary can be viewed in Portuguese with English subtitles here.