Brazil

Brazil, the largest country in South America, is home to some of the world’s most remarkable ecosystems. From the Amazon Rainforest, the largest tropical forest on Earth, to the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, Brazil shelters an extraordinary concentration of biodiversity. Jaguars, macaws, giant otters, caimans, anacondas and thousands of species of birds, fish and plants thrive in landscapes shaped by water, where seasonal floods govern the rhythm of life.

Millions of years ago, part of the Amazon Basin was periodically covered by the sea. When the marine waters finally retreated, some cetaceans gradually adapted to life in freshwater. From this remarkable geological history emerged the boto (Inia geoffrensis), the Amazon river dolphin, now one of the most iconic species of the Amazon Basin.

The photographs in this category take you into the heart of these two extraordinary environments. In the Pantanal, vast floodplains provide exceptional opportunities to observe one of the richest concentrations of wildlife in South America. Further north, the Amazon reveals a world where rivers are the true lifelines of the rainforest. It is in the dark waters of the Rio Negro that the fascinating boto lives, surrounded by myths and legends. The photographs also highlight the cultural richness of the region through the communities of the Tupé, whose traditions remain deeply connected to the river and the rainforest.

Through these photographs, I invite you to discover a Brazil where nature and culture are inseparable. Here, rivers are far more than waterways: they are the living heart of the Amazon, linking people, wildlife and the rainforest in a delicate balance that has endured for thousands of years.