Pantanal - The world's largest wetland, the Pantanal is a critical freshwater resource. Threatened by development projects in the region's waterways and on land, CI works with governments and communities to create plans that will help preserve the Pantanal's fragile ecology. Closeup Just an hour away from some of Brazil's best known beaches, CI's canopy walkway draws tourists away from the sun and surf to experience the rain forest first-hand. The walkway is suspended 60 feet in the air without the use of nails or bolts, which injure trees. Instead, it is stabilized by steel cable, wrapped and clamped around the tree trunks.
Visitors can see some of the most spectacular wildlife in the Atlantic forest from the walkway.
This region is home to rare birds, sloths, and the golden-headed lion tamarin. The walkway is located next to the Una Biological Reserve, where CI works with local organizations to develop economic alternatives to forest destruction. CI is developing agricultural alternatives to save forests from being stripped for plantations and cattle ranching. Ecotourism shows great promise in the state of Bahia, where 300,000 people visit the beaches annually. In no other part of Brazil is the rain forest as accessible to already established tourism destinations.