| The Jaguar Expedition Diaries |
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The Jaguar Corridor Expedition:
Investigating the Conservation Status of the
Biodiversity of the Upper Parana River.
 On board sailboat Pasárgada,Laury Cullen and Fernando Lima,
researchers of the Institute of Ecological Research – IPÊ, set off on an unheard-of expedition, sailing for more than 270 miles, with the objective of investigating the current conservation status of the Biodiversity Corridor of the Upper Paraná River.
The Biodiversity Corridor protects the Atlantic Forest in five Brazilian States and connects to forest remnants in Argentina and Paraguay. It covers areas of the Atlantic Forest biome, including the Paraná and Iguaçu river basins, the National Parks of Ilha Grande and Iguaçu, the State Parks of Morro do Diabo, Ivinhema and Turvo, the Ecological Stations of Black Lion Tamarin and Caiuá, and the Environmental Protection Area (Área de Proteção Ambiental – APA) of the islands and floodplains of the Paraná River. Experts point to the Atlantic Forest biome as one of the world hotspots, that is, one of the priority areas for biodiversity conservation, since it shelters one of the most important biodiversity sites on the planet, with about 20,000 species of plants (6.7% of all species in the world), of which 8,000 are endemic, and a great wealth of vertebrates (269 species of mammals, 849 of birds, 197 of reptiles, and 372 of amphibians).
Figure 1.
Part of the length of the river covered by the expedition, and some conservation units visited during the journey. (27) São Paulo Lagoon in Presidente Epitácio; (24) State Park of Ivinhema Floodplains; (29) National Park of Ilha Grande.
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According to the document “Biodiversity Vision for the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest Ecoregion”, published by WWF-Brazil, in the beginning of colonial times in Latin America, the region of the Brazilian Biodiversity Corridor of the Paraná River covered 471,000 Km2 of continuous forests and high biodiversity of plants and animals. Today it is reduced to only 2.7% of its original extension. In Brazil alone, the Atlantic Forest supplies water to three quarters of the population. Most of the electricity consumed in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay is generated by Atlantic Forest rivers, especially in the Upper Paraná, where three of the largest hydroelectric power plants in the world – Porto Primavera, Itaipu and Yaciretá – are located. As reported in studies carried out by IPÊ in Pontal do Paranapanema, the corridor region shelters countless species of South-American fauna, among which stand out large carnivores, such as the jaguar and the puma, and mammals, such as tapirs, deers, peccaries, maned wolves, anteaters, and several primates.
The researchers departed from Presidente Epitácio on September 2, 2007, and sailed until they reached the surroundings of the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant in Paraná. Along the journey, they stopped several times at critical points along the Upper Paraná River. Their objective was to produce a technical and photographic report, emphasizing the main threats and opportunities for the viability of the ecological corridor. The expedition logbooks tell the adventures of a ten-day journey downstream along the corridor.
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