520
23.7.1 South America
South America is a tropical place. Its climate
may not be much different from that of Asia.
There are many enormous wetlands in different
countries in South America. An account of the
wetlands in South America is briefl y given
below.
23.7.2 Central American Freshwater
Tidal Marshes
It is known that the rivers on the Pacifi c coast
side of Central America are generally shorter
and more seasonal than their counterparts on
the Caribbean side of the isthmus (Dugan
1993 ). Due to this and also because of the prevailing climate, the wetlands near the Pacifi c
coast tend to be very seasonal with wet summers and very dry winters.
23.7.3 The Orinoco River Delta
It is located in Venezuela. It was explored by
Columbus during one of his early voyages. It has
an area of 36,000 km
2
. It is dominated by magnifi cent mangrove forests along its brackish
shoreline. The indigenous population of the delta
practices subsistence farming and fi shing. They
generally export salted fi sh to the population centres bordering the region (Dugan 1993 ). Some
regions in the area are protected. Some conservation efforts have been made by the government
and the industries. But, still, grazing and unlawful hunting have been detrimental to the area’s
fl ora and fauna.
23.7.4 The Llanos
Llanos is a very large sedimentary basin on the
western part of the Orinoco River basin in western
Venezuela and northern Colombia. This area is said
to be one of the largest inland wetland areas of
South America (Dugan 1993 ). The Llanos has a
winter wet season coupled with a summer dry season. This causes it to be a wetland dominated by
savanna grasslands and scattered palms rather than
fl oodplain forests typical of the Orinoco Delta
(Junk 1993 ). The region is an important habitat for
wading birds. It is also rich with animals, like caiman ( Caiman sp.) (Dugan 1993 ).
23.7.5 Wetlands of Brazil
There are a large number of wetlands in Brazil.
An account is given below.
23.7.5.1 The Pantanal
The Pantanal (Plate 23.22 ) of the Paraguay–
Parana River basin and Mato Grosso do Sul,
Brazil, is one of the largest regional wetlands in
the world (Por 1995 ). The name ‘Pantanal’ comes
from the Portuguese word pântano , meaning wetland , bog , swamp or marsh . The Pantanal , lying
between coordinates 18° 00′ 00″ S and
56° 30′ 00″ W, is a tropical lentic body which is
said to be the world’s largest wetland. This wetland complex has an area of 140,000 km
2
.
Elevation of the Pantanal ranges from 80 to 150 m
MSL. It is located almost exactly in the geographical centre of South America. It lies mostly within
the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul but
extends into Mato Grosso as well as into portions of Bolivia and Paraguay, sprawling over
Plate 23.22 The Pantanal
23 Wetlands of America
23.7.1 South America
South America is a tropical place. Its climate
may not be much different from that of Asia.
There are many enormous wetlands in different
countries in South America. An account of the
wetlands in South America is briefl y given
below.
23.7.2 Central American Freshwater
Tidal Marshes
It is known that the rivers on the Pacifi c coast
side of Central America are generally shorter
and more seasonal than their counterparts on
the Caribbean side of the isthmus (Dugan
1993 ). Due to this and also because of the prevailing climate, the wetlands near the Pacifi c
coast tend to be very seasonal with wet summers and very dry winters.
23.7.3 The Orinoco River Delta
It is located in Venezuela. It was explored by
Columbus during one of his early voyages. It has
an area of 36,000 km
2
. It is dominated by magnifi cent mangrove forests along its brackish
shoreline. The indigenous population of the delta
practices subsistence farming and fi shing. They
generally export salted fi sh to the population centres bordering the region (Dugan 1993 ). Some
regions in the area are protected. Some conservation efforts have been made by the government
and the industries. But, still, grazing and unlawful hunting have been detrimental to the area’s
fl ora and fauna.
23.7.4 The Llanos
Llanos is a very large sedimentary basin on the
western part of the Orinoco River basin in western
Venezuela and northern Colombia. This area is said
to be one of the largest inland wetland areas of
South America (Dugan 1993 ). The Llanos has a
winter wet season coupled with a summer dry season. This causes it to be a wetland dominated by
savanna grasslands and scattered palms rather than
fl oodplain forests typical of the Orinoco Delta
(Junk 1993 ). The region is an important habitat for
wading birds. It is also rich with animals, like caiman ( Caiman sp.) (Dugan 1993 ).
23.7.5 Wetlands of Brazil
There are a large number of wetlands in Brazil.
An account is given below.
23.7.5.1 The Pantanal
The Pantanal (Plate 23.22 ) of the Paraguay–
Parana River basin and Mato Grosso do Sul,
Brazil, is one of the largest regional wetlands in
the world (Por 1995 ). The name ‘Pantanal’ comes
from the Portuguese word pântano , meaning wetland , bog , swamp or marsh . The Pantanal , lying
between coordinates 18° 00′ 00″ S and
56° 30′ 00″ W, is a tropical lentic body which is
said to be the world’s largest wetland. This wetland complex has an area of 140,000 km
2
.
Elevation of the Pantanal ranges from 80 to 150 m
MSL. It is located almost exactly in the geographical centre of South America. It lies mostly within
the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul but
extends into Mato Grosso as well as into portions of Bolivia and Paraguay, sprawling over
Plate 23.22 The Pantanal
23 Wetlands of America