Brazil : Jaguar Tracking

It is not by chance that the Pantanal is the most well preserved biome in Brazil, with 80% of its vegetation conserved. The habits of the Pantanal region residents respect the environment where they live. From this culture, social, livestock handling and ecological methods were born in which sustainability is integrated.

Onçafari Project

This initiative promotes the conservation of the Pantanal through a different kind of photographic safari, in which the animals do not lose their wild nature, but stop seeing the safari vehicles as a threat. This responsible ecotourism initiative provides a source of income to the region's inhabitants and owners, uniting sustainable practices with social progress. The experience of the safaris are used as tools to change the opinion and raise awareness to the visitors and Pantanal inhabitants that preservation is synonym of development.

The Tapirape Project

Not only are tapirs secretive, but they are also considered vulnerable, and suffer from issues such as deforestation, vehicular incidents, and wildfires. The Tapirape Project uses habitation to get to know tapirs better and protect them.

Hyacinth Macaw Institute

Founded in 1990 and coordinated by Dr. Neiva Guedes, from Uniderp, this initiative monitors Hyacinth Macaw’s nests to obtain data about the species. It has helped to recuperate the population of the Hyacinth Macaw throughout the Pantanal and remove it from the list of endangered species, turning the bird into a symbol of resistance in the region.

Blue Fronted Parrot Project

Coordinated by the zoo technician, Gláucia Seixas, with a Master’s in Ecology and Conservation, the project has searched for information and spread knowledge about the Blue Fronted Parrot since 1987. The project’s goals also include to register these birds and to evaluate the human impact on the species, one of the most targeted for illegal trafficking of animals.

GRAEME PURDY

Wildlife photographer Graeme Purdy has honed his art by photographing some of the most iconic and beautiful animals from around the world over the last two decades. From the arctic to Siberian forests, from Africa's jungles to it's open savannah as well as the depths of world's oceans Graeme has amassed a wealth of photographic knowledge to help you advance your own photography skills and develop your portfolio.

WILL BOLSOVER

At the front of NWS, our Founder & CEO Will Bolsover frequently heads out on recce trips. Some destinations he knows well from years of experience but regularly revisits to connect with specialists in the region; scientists, naturalists, and some of the best adventure guides in the world. In other destinations these trips pioneer the way, exploring to the very end of the road to untangle the complexity of travel in new, and often seldom visited regions.

MARIO HABERFELD

Mario Haberfeld was a racecar driver for almost 20 years. In his career he has won many championships from Go Karts to F3. He was a test driver in F1 for Jordan, Stewart GP and McLaren F1 Teams. In the United States he has driven for some of the best Indy Car Teams. After retiring from racing, he completed the OPM course at Harvard and created the Onçafari Project with the aim of preserving the Pantanal through ecotourism. Ecotourism is a powerful tool since it can preserve this wonderful biome, increase land value, generate jobs for local people and stimulate commerce. The Project is based on wildlife viewing and is now operating in 4 different biomes of Brazil, including the Amazon, the Cerrado, the Atlantic Forest and the Pantanal. Since its inception, Onçafari has grown in scale and now operates out of 14 diferent bases in Brazil, not only in the Ecotourism front, but also with Science, Social, Education, Rewild and the purchase of large tracks of land for conservation and the formation of enormous wildlife corridors. Nowadays Onçafari has influence on the conservation of over 2 million acres.