Abstract
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. The book is divided into three main chapters. The first one is about the physical / biological feature of the region and the second covers the local historical occupation. Important publications about the Pantanal are sumerized well in both chapters. The last chapter describes current conflict between local people and Protected Areas over land use. However the authors misuse several findings about local settlements in the region, leading to imprecise conclusions. The lack of scientific accuracy in the main part of the book undermines its potential academic impact. Nonetheless this book triggers important debates about the conservation of the Pantanal, showing that it is not pristine and free of threats as is widely claimed.
Key words
The Pantanal; traditional communities; Protected Areas