Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay signed the landmark declaration that calls for conservation and sustainable development of the Pantanal.

Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay signed the landmark declaration that calls for conservation and sustainable development of the Pantanal. The decision follows years of collaboration among the governments that are securing a prosperous future for one of the most biologically rich ecosystems on the planet.

The Pantanal is the world’s largest tropical wetland and covers 170,000 square kilometres between Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Pantanal Boliviano, Pantanal Matogrossense, SESC Pantanal and Fazenda Rio Negro have been designated as Ramsar Sites with an area over 34,000 km2.

The Pantanal Declaration was signed on 22 March - World Water Day - during the 8^th World Water Forum in the capital of Brazil, Brasilia. The Declaration was signed by the Ministries of Environment of Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. The dialogue between three countries started since Resolution XII.8 was adopted by Conference of the Parties of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 2015 in Uruguay. The Resolution encourages activities in the Pantanal are under the framework of the Ramsar Regional Initiative of La Plata River Basin. Indeed, the conservation and sustainable development of the Pantanal is essential for the maintenance of ecosystem functions in the countries of the La Plata River basin which are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

During the signing ceremony, the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, congratulated the three governments for their leadership and commitment and offered its support for implementation of this important initiative.

The governments commit to:

• Maintain and promote the sustainable use of the water resources and to take actions to prevent, reduce and control pollution;
• Strengthen water governance for the conservation of ecosystems and its biodiversity;
• Under a cooperative approach develop plans, programmes and projects for the integral and sustainable use of the Pantanal;
• Increase the scientific knowledge of the Pantanal and its integrated management to improve the life conditions of the local communities and to establish mechanisms to join management of natural resources of transboundary nature.