After years of deforestation and land-use practices that degraded forests and water sources, researchers and rural communities are working to restore the ecosystems of this region.

They are doing so through the establishment of conservation agreements, restoring forests, and promoting productive activities that aim to balance environmental health with local livelihoods.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is supporting a proposal to secure for this endangered species the highest level of protection under CMS while strengthening international cooperation across its range in the Amazon, Orinoco, and Pantanal river basins.

Proposal 30.2.3 would list the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) on both Appendix I and Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), as governments prepare to convene for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP15) in Campo Grande, Brazil, from March 23–29.