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The Upper Paraguay Basin (BAP) is one of the largest river basins in South America, covering three countries: Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. In Brazil, one of the main risks to BAP conservation is the loss of native vegetation. In the floodplain region of the BAP, more than 13% of native vegetation was converted, while in the surrounding highlands the loss of native vegetation reached over 61% of the area. These values tend to increase, highlighting the importance of territorial planning for sustainable development in the region. In this sense, we mapped the ecological corridors in the Upper Paraguay Basin, in Brazil, to support conservation strategies focused on maintaining connectivity on a regional scale. To achieve this, we use the Least Cost Path and Circuitscape methods, based on a multispecies approach. As a result, we identified 303 fragments of native vegetation or conservation units that can be considered nodes and 859 ecological corridors. Of all the ecological corridors identified, around 288 were lost in just 3 years, due to the conversion of native vegetation. In general, our results were an extensive network of corridors, which can be applied in UPRB territorial planning, aiming to reduce the impacts of loss of connectivity in the region. Our results highlight the importance of territorial planning and quick and effective decision‐making to mitigate the effects of native vegetation loss for biodiversity conservation in the UPRB. Resumo A Bacia do Alto Paraguai (BAP) é uma das maiores bacias hidrográficas da América do Sul, abrangendo três países: Brasil, Bolívia e Paraguai. No Brasil, um dos maiores riscos para a conservação da BAP é a perda de vegetação nativa. Na planície, região baixa da BAP, mais de 13% da vegetação nativa foi convertida, o planalto, região alta, sofreu a maior perda de vegetação nativa, com mais de 61% da área. A tendência desses valores é de aumento, destacando a importância do planejamento territorial para um desenvolvimento sustentável da região. Nesse sentido, nós mapeamos os corredores ecológicos existentes na Bacia do Alto Paraguai, no Brasil, para dar suporte a estratégias de conservação focadas na manutenção da conectividade em escala regional. Para isso, usamos os métodos do caminho de menor custo e Circuitscape, com base em uma abordagem multiespécie. Como resultado, nós identificamos 303 fragmentos de vegetação nativa ou unidades de conservação que podem ser considerados nodos e 859 corredores ecológicos. De todos os corredores ecológicos identificados, cerca de 288 foram perdidos em apenas três anos, devido à conversão da vegetação nativa. Em geral, nossos resultados foram uma extensa rede de corredores, que podem ser aplicados no planejamento territorial da UPRB, visando a redução dos impactos da perda de conectividade da região. Nossos resultados destacam a importância do planejamento territorial e da tomada de decisões rápida e eficaz para mitigar os efeitos da perda de vegetação nativa para a conservação da biodiversidade na UPRB. We identified and mapped ecological corridors on a regional scale for the entire upper paragauai basin, which is one of the largest basins in Brazil. Our results were an extensive network of corridors across the basin, as well as identifying areas for better connectivity. Thus, the network of corridors on a regional scale but linked to the landscape scale, obtained in our results, is a useful basis to support the definition and implementation of public policies in the region.

Human‐wildlife coexistence as a concept and management objective has received increasing attention from researchers and decision makers. The coexistence approach will benefit from the recognition that, at broader scales, human‐wildlife interactions (HWI) are best understood and managed collaboratively and as complex systems, that is, dynamic, non‐linear, emergent, adaptive and, therefore, unpredictable. We present a planning process for human‐wildlife coexistence that provides a platform for collaboration between researchers and decision‐makers—and other stakeholders as well—and recognizes the complex nature of HWI. The three elements that define the process are: coexistence instead of conservation or conflict mitigation as a goal, systems thinking as the approach, and an emphasis on verifiable results rather than actions. As a way of illustration, we describe a 3‐day planning workshop for human‐jaguar coexistence in the Pantanal, Brazil. The 15 participants representing the academic, governmental, and non‐profit sectors identified 12 interactions directly involving 27 stakeholders and indirectly another 55. A theory of change was produced, connecting 20 actions—to be performed by 22 actors—with the 57 factors that directly and indirectly drive the interactions. How these results complement other approaches such as Action Plans is discussed. The proposed approach favors the pragmatism of adaptive co‐management over the often unrealistic expectation of a linear path to solution, or in other words, a shift from the notion of human‐wildlife coexistence as a quantifiable target to that of coexistence as a desired system state. We present a planning process that recognizes the complex nature of human‐wildlife interactions. As a way of illustration, we describe a planning workshop for human‐jaguar coexistence in the Pantanal. The proposed approach favors the pragmatism of adaptive management instead of the often unrealistic expectation of a linear path to solution, or in other words, a shift from the notion of human‐wildlife coexistence as a quantifiable target to that of coexistence as a desired system state.

The Pantanal is considered the largest continuous freshwater wetland in the world, and its sustainable use requires a unified conceptual framework. The lengthy process to establish public policies has contributed to the increasing vulnerability of the Pantanal. Given the need for a conceptual basis to help this process, we elaborate a list of eight basic principles based on the accumulated scientific evidence: (i) Consider the Paraguay River Basin a management unity; (ii) Establish rules that follow the concept of restricted use approach; (iii) Ensure the ecologically sustainable use of the Pantanal; (iv) Maintain the environmental heterogeneity and functionality in the Pantanal landscapes; (v) Maintain the hydrological integrity and connectivity; (vi) Ensure the environmental representativeness of the protected areas network; (vii) Provide economic incentives for conservationist use of the land; and (viii) Recognize and protect traditional people, their values, resources, and way of living. However, the elaboration of public policies should be a participatory and inclusive decision‐making process towards a more just and sustainable future. The Pantanal is facing the challenge of preparing public policies at federal and state levels, but there is the need of a conceptual basis to support this process. This article prepared a list of eight main principles to be considered by legislators and decision‐makers, aiming to ensure proper protection and management strategies provided by the public policies. We emphasize that this process should be participatory and inclusive, towards a more just and sustainable future for the Pantanal.

Anthropogenic factors have significantly influenced the frequency, duration, and intensity of meteorological drought in many regions of the globe, and the increased frequency of wildfires is among the most visible consequences of human-induced climate change. Despite the fire role in determining biodiversity outcomes in different ecosystems, wildfires can cause negative impacts on wildlife. We conducted ground surveys along line transects to estimate the first-order impact of the 2020 wildfires on vertebrates in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil. We adopted the distance sampling technique to estimate the densities and the number of dead vertebrates in the 39,030 square kilometers affected by fire. Our estimates indicate that at least 16.952 million vertebrates were killed immediately by the fires in the Pantanal, demonstrating the impact of such an event in wet savanna ecosystems. The Pantanal case also reminds us that the cumulative impact of widespread burning would be catastrophic, as fire recurrence may lead to the impoverishment of ecosystems and the disruption of their functioning. To overcome this unsustainable scenario, it is necessary to establish proper biomass fuel management to avoid cumulative impacts caused by fire over biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Cattle ranching in the ~140,000 km2 Brazilian Pantanal is considered one of the most important cases of sustainable use of natural resources in the global south. The region has had a successful history of balancing environmental protection with the production of >3.8 million cattle. However, global change, infrastructure projects, and deforestation, threaten the sustainable use of the Pantanal. Here, using Ostrom's design principles as a framework, we interviewed 49 local stakeholders and conducted a review of secondary information aiming to evaluate the sustainability of cattle ranching practices across the region and the threats to it. We show that well‐defined property boundaries, congruence between appropriation and provision rules through low‐intensity cattle ranching, and co‐management of resources, are all key components for achieving sustainability in the Pantanal. However, we documented shortcomings in satisfying critical aspects of Orstrom's design principles. Specifically, we argue that the Pantanal needs better biodiversity and behavior monitoring, the creation of platforms or mechanisms to solve local conflicts around resource access and use, recognition by governments and international bodies of the local efforts to promote local sustainability, and the creation of networks effectively connecting existing sustainability initiatives. Cattle ranching in the Pantanal should be part of the conservation agenda and we show the pathways to it.

The Amazon forest has the highest biodiversity on earth. However, information on Amazonian vertebrate diversity is still deficient and scattered across the published, peer-reviewed and grey literature and in unpublished raw data. Camera traps are an effective non-invasive method of surveying vertebrates, applicable to different scales of time and space. In this study, we organized and standardized camera trap records from different Amazon regions to compile the most extensive dataset of inventories of mammal, bird and reptile species ever assembled for the area. The complete dataset comprises 154,123 records of 317 species (185 birds, 119 mammals and 13 reptiles) gathered from surveys from the Amazonian portion of eight countries (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela). The most frequently recorded species per taxa were: mammals - Cuniculus paca (11,907 records); birds - Pauxi tuberosa (3,713 records); and reptiles - Tupinambis teguixin (716 records). The information detailed in this data paper opens-up opportunities for new ecological studies at different spatial and temporal scales, allowing for a more accurate evaluation of the effects of habitat loss, fragmentation, climate change and other human-mediated defaunation processes in one of the most important and threatened tropical environments in the world. The dataset is not copyright restricted; please cite this data-paper when using its data in publications and we also request that researchers and educators inform us of how they are using this data.

The Amazon forest has the highest biodiversity on Earth. However, information on Amazonian vertebrate diversity is still deficient and scattered across the published, peer-reviewed, and gray literature and in unpublished raw data. Camera traps are an effective non-invasive method of surveying vertebrates, applicable to different scales of time and space. In this study, we organized and standardized camera trap records from different Amazon regions to compile the most extensive data set of inventories of mammal, bird, and reptile species ever assembled for the area. The complete data set comprises 154,123 records of 317 species (185 birds, 119 mammals, and 13 reptiles) gathered from surveys from the Amazonian portion of eight countries (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela). The most frequently recorded species per taxa were: mammals: Cuniculus paca (11,907 records); birds: Pauxi tuberosa (3713 records); and reptiles: Tupinambis teguixin (716 records). The information detailed in this data paper opens up opportunities for new ecological studies at different spatial and temporal scales, allowing for a more accurate evaluation of the effects of habitat loss, fragmentation, climate change, and other human-mediated defaunation processes in one of the most important and threatened tropical environments in the world. The data set is not copyright restricted; please cite this data paper when using its data in publications and we also request that researchers and educators inform us of how they are using these data.