Become a Guardian of the Pantanal

“The creation of the Alto Pantanal Brigade was a quick response we found to fight the fires that were destroying the Pantanal in 2020. We already knew that temporary actions would not be enough to safeguard the biome and all its wealth. So, we came up with something permanent. But all this work goes far beyond the brigadiers and includes everyone willing to collaborate. The brigade only exists thanks to people and companies that, in the past, were already keen to help. As the Brigade became fundamental, we had the idea of ​​also calling them “the guardians”. And the Pantanal needs more guardians!”, President of the IHP (Instituto Homem Pantaneiro), Ângelo Rabelo.

As the former coordinator of the Alto Pantanal Brigade and current manager of the Mato Grosso National Park, Bruno Agueda, recalls the team had to act directly in combat: “The first fire was in an urban area, on August 20, 2021. In September, they also worked in the areas of Porto Laranjeiras, Ilha Laranjeira and Paraguai Mirim, avoiding the fire spots to reach the IHP management areas. These actions prevented the fire from reaching several homes,” he says.