Análise Comparativa dos Limites do Pantanal: Critérios e Desafios na Delimitação do Bioma

Abstract

The Pantanal is considered one of the largest wetlands on the planet and the most diverse ecosystem in Brazil, covering approximately 150 thousand square kilometers. Its importance for the country is in several areas, such as ecology and economy. The difficulty in delimiting the Pantanal is due to its complex dynamics of seasonal flooding and the environmental variability between floodable and non-flooded areas, which change over the years. These characteristics cause researchers to use different criteria to define the exact limits of the biome, resulting in different subregions (Mioto et al., 2019). Despite this difficulty, the precise delimitation of the Pantanal is essential for the formulation of preservation policies and for the application of environmental laws that ensure the conservation of its natural resources and biodiversity. Therefore, this work aimed to analyze the geographical delimitations of the Pantanal, exploring the divergences and convergences between published studies. The paper reviews the use of different technologies and methodologies, demonstrating that despite variations in the criteria used, many studies point to similarities, revealing a partial convergence between the authors. By analyzing the studies, it was possible to determine that the most used criteria to delimit the Pantanal were geomorphology and hydrology, due to the importance of these characteristics in defining the dynamics of the plain. The most used material for analysis were satellite images, which allow high precision in identifying environmental patterns and in comparing different methods and periods.