A year ago, deep in the heart of the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, the lifeless body of Gaia, a jaguar known and loved by conservationists, was found charred by fire. Gaia had been monitored for years by Onçafari (a nonprofit founded by co-author Mario Haberfeld, which works to protect jaguars in the region through ecotourism, scientific research, and reintroductions). Gaia was an emblem of resilience and wild beauty in a biome renowned for its biodiversity. Her tragic death, burned alive by uncontrollable flames, was more than a symbolic loss: it came as an alert, embedded with symbolism and undeniable data about the unfolding climate catastrophe. The Pantanal, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and one of the most ecologically productive regions on Earth, covers more than 140,000 square kilometers (54,000 square miles) across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. It is home to thousands of species, many threatened with extinction, and it provides critical ecosystem services like water filtration, carbon storage and climate regulation. But over the last five years, it has become a frontline of the climate crisis. The jaguar nicknamed Gaia, who died when her Pantanal habitat burned in 2024. Image courtesy of Lucas Morgado / Caiman Ecological Refuge. In 2020, fires consumed nearly 30% of the biome, directly killing 17 million wild vertebrates and emitting more carbon than Belgium that same year. In 2024, despite early warnings and past tragedies, the Pantanal burned again — this time during record-breaking temperatures and amid extreme drought — with more than 5,000…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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