Is the Pantanal a Pristine Place? Conflicts Related to the Conservation of the Pantanal

The book “Biodiversidade e ocupação humana do Pantanal mato-grossense:conflitos e oportunidades” brings to discussion a hardly citied issue in academic debates:the conservation of the Pantanal. A place pointed out by some authors as pristine. Thebook is divided into three main chapters. The first one is about the physical / biologicalfeature of the region and the second covers the local historical occupation. Importantpublications about the Pantanal are sumerized well in both chapters. The last chapterdescribes current conflict between local people and Protected Areas over land use. How-ever the authors misuse several findings about local settlements in the region, leadingto imprecise conclusions. The lack of scientific accuracy in the main part of the bookundermines its potential academic impact. Nonetheless this book triggers importantdebates about the conservation of the Pantanal, showing that it is not pristine and freeof threats as is widely claimed.