The Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands on the planet, comprises 140,000 km 2 of lowland floodplain of the upper Rio Paraguai basin that drains the Cerrado of central Brazil. The diverse mosaics of habitats resulting from the varied soil types and inundation regimes are responsible for an extraordinarily rich terrestrial and aquatic biota, exemplified by the bird richest wetland in the world-463 birds have been recorded there-and the largest known populations of several threatened mammals, such as Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), marsh deer ( Blastocerus dichotomus), giant otter ( Pteronura brasiliensis), and jaguar ( Panthera onca). Until recently, deforestation of the adjoining Brazilian central plateau was considered the major threat to this area, but now deforestation is a critical problem within the floodplain itself. More than 40% of the forest and savanna habitats have been altered for cattle ranching through the introduction of exotic grasses. And there are other threats that lead to large-scale disruption of ecological processes, severely affecting biodiversity. Although the Pantanal wetland is a Biosphere Reserve and is considered a Wetland of International Importance, only 2.5% of the upper Paraguai River basin is formally protected. To date, protected areas have been created opportunistically and as such, although of undoubted value, protect only a fraction of the Pantanal's wildlife and habitats. Among the conservation initiatives in the area, the private sector is increasingly participating in the establishment of private reserves. The prospects are far from optimistic, however, and the major challenge is to find alternative socioeconomic models that allow for conservation and economic uses of the land in association with the development of specific environmental legislation that reflects the unique characteristics of the region. Protegiendo a los Humedales del Pantanal: Amenazas e Iniciativas de ConservaciónResumen: El Pantanal, 140,000 km 2 de llanura inundable de la cuenca alta del Río Paraguai que drena el Cerrado en el centro de Brasil, es uno de los humedales más extensos del planeta. Los diversos mosaicos de hábitats que resultan de diversos tipos de suelo y regímenes de inundación son responsables de una biota terrestre y acuática extraordinariamente rica, ejemplificada por el humedal con mayor riqueza de aves en el mundo -se han registrado 463 especies de aves -y las mayores poblaciones conocidas de varios mamíferos amenazados, como el venado de las Pampas (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), el venado de pantano (Blastocerus dichotomus), la nutria gigante (Pteronura brasiliensis) y el jaguar (Panthera onca). Hasta hace poco, la deforestación de la meseta central Brasileña adyacente era considerada como la mayor amenaza a estaárea, pero ahora la deforestación es un problema crítico dentro de la misma llanura inundable. Más de 40% de hábitats de bosque y sabana han sido alterados para producción de ganado mediante la introducción de pastos exóticos. Y hay otas amenazas que conducen a la disrupci...

The loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services has serious consequences for society, as well as to business actives. While there have been significant advances in the development of policies to incorporate biodiversity issues in a company's activities, reliable and accessible data on the distribution of biodiversity and ecosystem services can be a major hindrance to a company's ability to implement and conform to such policies. The development of biodiversity tools for use by the private sector is therefore of high importance to facilitate this transition from policy to performance. Key to this development is the role of cross-sectoral partnerships between the environmental and business sectors that have proved to be mutually beneficial in achieving sustainable, environmentally sound and lucrative business practices.

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