Due to its outstanding richness and abundance of wildlife, the Pantanal has been recognized by UNESCO as one of the most lush and diversified natural reserves on Earth.

The Paraguay River and its tributaries form extensive flooded areas used by many fish species, such as "pintado", "dourado", "pacu" and also several wildlife species such as caimans, capybaras and otters among other species. Several endangered species in other areas of Brazil, still have vigorous populations in the Pantanal, such as the Pantanal marsh deer, capybara, jabiru stork, caiman and the blue hyacinth macaw.

Rainfall is well defined, the dry season is from April to October and the wet season is from November to March. Due to the low declivity, water from rainfall in the northern part of the Pantanal takes approximately four months or more to reach the southern portion. Flooding low fields, creating temporary lakes and lagoons, temporary rivers, locally known as  “vazantes”, all getting together to form an enormous water web, which in the past was called  “Xaraés Sea”, by the old inhabitants of the region.

The climate is dry and humid in the summer and cold and dry in the winter. The great majority of Pantanal soils are sandy and sustain natural pastures used by native herbivores and beef cattle, which have been in the region for two centuries.

In 1975, Embrapa concerned with the conservation of the Pantanal wetlands, installed a research unit in Corumbá City, aiming to adapt, develop and transfer technologies for the sustainable use of its natural resources. The traditional raising of beef cattle was the initial focus of research. However, in a short period of time it was clear that the Pantanal should be studied as a whole and more researchers joined the initial research team. Currently, plant and fish resources are being studied, as well as fauna, hydrology, climate and soils. The environmental impacts on the Pantanal due to human activities and socio-economic aspects of the region are also being studied.

The Pantanal is not uniform. Studies identified 11 regions, each with its own type of soil, vegetation, fauna and flooding period. In the northern portion: Cáceres, Poconé and Barão de Melgaço. In the central region: Paraguay, Paiaguás, Nhecolândia and Abobral. In the southeast: Aquidauana and Miranda. In the south: Nabileque and Porto Murtinho.

Embrapa Pantanal has already identified almost two thousand plant species, classifying them according to their economical potential, such as plants of interest for forage, honey, fruits and wood production. Plant species of medical interest and other uses are also being researched.

In the last three decades, the region has been suffering aggressions by man, conducted specially in the surrounding plateau. Currently, the environmental and socio-economic impacts in the Pantanal are very evident, due to the absence of a planning that will assure the sustainable use of natural resources of this important biome.

Embrapa Pantanal´s proposal is to answer challenges, generating a new base of technological information, capable to conciliate economic development with environmental conservation of the Pantanal. Research conducted at Embrapa Pantanal indicates that it is possible to use the region´s natural resources in a sustainable way, in agreement with alternative systems of nature utilization, such as ecological tourism and traditional systems, such as cattle ranching. In this way, there will be an increase in income and an improvement of life quality for the Pantanal human population. A fundamental task, so one of the most  rich and diversified areas of the country will remain protected, assuring that future generations will know and appreciate one of the last wild frontiers of the Earth.