Pantanal Matogrossense

Declared in 1981, it protects the core of the Pantanal, the largest tropical wetland in the world, which lies mostly in Brazil and to a lesser extent in Bolivia and Paraguay, on an annual cycle of flood and drought that renews its extraordinary biodiversity. Unlike the dense Amazon rainforest, the Pantanal's relatively open vegetation makes wildlife easy to see, which makes it the best place in the world to watch wild jaguars, with one of the highest densities of the species anywhere on the continent. It is also a key refuge for the hyacinth macaw, the largest flying parrot in the world, and for the giant otter, which can reach 1.8 metres in length.