Land cover dynamics in the Paraguayan Pantanal in the timeframe 1987–2020

International audienceThe Paraguayan Pantanal is part of one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the world. It is also one of the richest ecosystemson the planet in terms of biodiversity. It is recognized as a RAMSAR site and on its way to being declared a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site, which faces various pressures mainly due to changes in land use. This study describes how these land usechanges occurred over time in a place barely studied and thereby to lay the foundations for the decision-makers to undertakeappropriate restoration and conservation measures. It aims to analyze the land cover dynamics in the Paraguayan Pantanalover 33 years, in the timeframe 1987–2020. A diachronic analysis of satellite images Landsat Collection 2 Level-2 was carriedout. To process the different scenes into land cover maps, an unsupervised stacked classification process was conducted.In 33 years, 13,069.5 km2(43.1%) of forest were intended to other uses, including herbaceous vegetation, grazing lands,aquatic vegetation, and water bodies. Between the periods 1987–2004, 2004–2020, and 1987–2020, there were 3014.4 km2(9.9%), 5944.5 km2(19.6%), and 9118.9 km2(30.1%) of deforestation, considering the changes from forest to herbaceousvegetation and grazing lands. It is important to carry out a paradigm shift regarding the current mode of production, incorporatingmore sustainable livestock production techniques that allow the conservation of natural resources. Likewise, atthe legislative level, land use regulations must be implemented and regulate the Forestry Law of Paraguay according to thecurrent landscape situation