About us

The Everglades Pantanal Initiative has a history that started in the early 1990's when there was increasing interests in the settlement of the Florida Everglades lawsuit and the mounting pressure of scientists and concerned citizens about the construction of the Hidrovia project north of Forte Coimbra in the Upper Paraguay River in Brazil.

There were informal and sporadic exchanges between individuals and institutions mostly in Brazil and Florida, USA, about the changes in hydrology and landscape produced by large infrastructure projects, such as the Southern and Central Florida Flood Control Project and the Mississippi waterway constructed in the 20th century.

As the citizens of these important ecosystems became more aware of the profound alterations and need for corrective action in the U.S., the citizens and scientists in the Pantanal region also are looking for a better understanding of the possible impacts, and promote conservation driven activities that would permit sustainable development of the largest continuous wetland in the world. 

In 1993, the First Inter-American Dialogue on Water Management, organized by the Florida Water Management Districts, showcased a Comparative Study of the Everglades and the Pantanal, which marked the first steps towards a formalized exchange of information for the sustainable management of water resources in the Americas. This was the true beginning of the Inter-American Water Resources Network (IWRN), now promoted by the Organization of American States.

There have been several exchanges of information between the Everglades and the Pantanal since those times. However, such exchanges have not capitalize on the availability of vast amounts of information and research on each side to assist in the understanding of complex ecosystem management approaches to serve as the basis for decision making about human interaction with these large wetlands.

 

At the request of many institutions in the Pantanal region in December 1999, the conception of Everglades Pantanal Initiative was proposed and facilitated by the Florida Center for Environmental Studies, the Brazilian Institute for Agricultural Research, Ecología em Ação (ECOA), the Secretariat of Environment of Mato Grosso do Sul, and Everglades National Park.

Since then, EPI has grown significantly and actively, by promoting the exchange of information and experiences at the ecosystem level.

EPI has been present in many international for a, including the Second World Water Forum held at The Hague in 2000, and will hold its first annual meeting at the Fourth Inter-American Dialogue on Water Management, in Foz de Iguazu in September 2001.

EPI adopts an "all-inclusive, not exclusive" membership policy to provide an open forum for discussion of technical and scientific aspects of ecosystem management in the Everglades and Pantanal wetlands. Anybody with interest in these topics is welcome to be part of the exchange. The only requirement sought in participants is to willingly share information and knowledge to improve decision-making on these ecosystems for their conservation, restoration, and long-term sustainability.

We hope you find this site useful, and we welcome your ideas and participation.
Updated: May 14, 2002
 
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