How long is the Parana?
4000k
What it the total annual sediment load of the Parana?
150,000,000 tonnes
What is the main nutrient in the Parana sediment load?
Phosphorous
How large is the Parana river basin?
2,600,000-km squared
What percentage of the Rio Parana is in Brazil?
45.6%
What three fluvial systems create the Rio De La Plata?
Parana, Paraguay and Uruguay
What is the most important change in the horizontal file of the river?
Sete Quedas falls ( now Itaipu Dam), water drops by 180m over 60km
What is the main tributary of the Parana by water volume?
Paraguay
At the confluence of the Paraguay, how much does the discharge of the river increase by?
from 11,983-16,941 m cubed
What are the free floating vegetation called that flows down the Parana?
Camalotes or Aquapes
What do high amounts of river vegetation cause?
Retention of sediments
What is the bed load composition of the upper Parana
95% quartz
What was the maximun recorded discharge in the Parana?
50,000 m cubed
What causes the Braided pattern of the Parana?
high availability of bed load sediment relative to suspended load sediment
What protected the pantanal from early development?
Isolation from major cities and populations
Why does the Pantanal face pressures of development?
Increased plans by the Brazilian, Bolivian and Paraguayan governments to develop economy in the area
How much of the Pantanal is in Brazil?
85%
What does the WWF describe the Pantanal as?
Globally outstanding
What hinders discussions about environmentalism in the Pantanal?
Inseficiant information on economic, ecological, social and hydrological factors
Where is the Pantanal situation geographically?
The Alto Paraguay Depression, Bra, Uru, Par
How is human population distributed in the Pantanal?
Concentrated in small urban areas
What is the soil quality of the Pantanal?
Acidic and have low fertility
How long have humans lived in the Pantanal?
5000years
How many people belonging to the original Guato nation lives in the Pantanal?
Just 50
What did the Brazilian government introduce in the 1970s to the Pantanal to increase development? (PRODEPAN)
Program for the development of the Pantanal
What were the aim of the many programs introduced to the Pantanal?
The utilisation of the natural resources of the Pantanal and its catchment area
What do increased agroindustries do to rivers?
Increase sediment load
How many hydroelectric dams are on the Pantanal?
9 (Generate 323MW)
Who wrote the article on the Pantanal?
Junk and Cunha 2004
What should be avoided in the Pantanal?
Construction of reservoirs as they would modify the hydrological regime of the wetlands
Which engineering project could cause damage to the Pantanal?
The Brazil-Bolivian pipeline
When was the Pantanal declared as a UNESCO worlds heritage site?
1993
What is the esimated cost of the Pantanal per ha?
$8500 per ha
How large is the Pantanal wetlands?
725 sqmiles
How many cow farms or Fazendas are in the protected pantanal area?
2500
What percentage of the Pantanal is privately owned?
99%
How many bird species are located in the Pantanal?
1000
what is the main threat to the Pantanal?
agriculture
How many plant species are in the Pantanal?
3500
How many mammal species live in the Pantanal?
300
How does the Pantanal link to the Parana riversystem?
It surrounds the Paraguay river, water gaianed over winter is slowly let into the river system over summer, regulating the rivers flow
What is the main reserve area of the Pantanal?
Pantanal Matogrossense National Park
How large is the PMNK
520 Sq Miles