The World Conference on Preservation and Sustainable Development in the Pantanal convened from February 26-28, 1999. Gathering in Washington, D.C. for this unprecedented event were representatives of governmental, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organizations, as well as distinguished academics, researchers, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, wetland scientists, and other specialists.
Conference Overview
Conference Schedule
Sponsors
Keynote, Session Presenters
Rapporteur's Report
The participants, representing 41 nations, converged in order to discuss challenges confronting the Pantanal, which is considered by many to be the world’s largest wetland. Stretching through much of the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil, and blending into the Gran Chaco or el Pantanal of eastern Bolivia and northeastern Paraguay, the Pantanal is renowned as one of the most vast and rich ecological reservations on the globe.
Addressing and attending the conference were leading authorities from the three principal nations, as well as from many of the world’s premier international organizations dealing with
environmental and developmental issues, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Ramsar Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, Worldwatch Institute, and Conservation International of Brazil. Also contributing to the proceedings were select experts from leading universities in Latin America, North America and Asia, and official representatives of various governmental bodies.
This three-day conference offered a singular opportunity for specialists and authorities from wide-ranging disciplines, distinct viewpoints, and an international perspective to explore fundamental issues relative to conservation and sustainable development in one of the world’s more unique, remarkable and diverse ecosystems.
The World Conference on Preservation and Sustainable Development in the Pantanal provided both broad educational value in understanding the characteristics and nature of this immense wetland ecosystem, as well as specific insights regarding current and projected challenges to its future. The conference was co-sponsored by the World University Federation, the University of Bridgeport, Sun Moon University, and The Washington Times Foundation, with technical support of the Waterland Research Institute.
This web site provides an introduction to the World Conference on Preservation and Sustainable Development in the Pantanal, to the Pantanal itself, and to the key issues surrounding this natural treasure.
Pantanal photographs were provided by Douglas Trent, Focus Tours
Conference photographs provided by the Waterland Research Institute
See also the Ramsar Bureau's site on the conference
