Abstract
The Pantanal is a seasonal biome of flooded habitats with exuberant biodiversity, which is ecologically productive and has attracted nature-based tourism. A protected environment is the main market product for ecotourism, with a growing socioeconomic factor for the local people. The Pantanal still keeps a complex environmental and biological diversity, valuing the natural ecosystems, which are crucial for tourism, supporting the biome’s integrity. Studies reveal that habitat alteration and loss, with conversion of natural vegetation into pasture for cattle ranching and agriculture cropping, and also the non-sustainable tourism, are environmental threats affecting the region. If, on the one hand, the Pantanal deserves to keep its protected nature, on the other hand, human presence favors indispensable socioeconomic growth, which includes ecotourism. This study analyses the local population’s perception of achieving their socioeconomic development through growing tourism in nature.
Keywords:
Biodiversity; Pantanal wetland; Protected nature; Socioeconomic benefit; Sustainable tourism