Recommended Citation Gottgens, Johan F.; Perry, James E.; and al, et, "The Paraguay-Paraná Hidrovía: Protecting the Pantanal with Lessons from the Past: Large-scale channelization of the northern Paraguay-Paraná seems to be on hold, but an ongoing multitude of smaller-scale activities may turn the Pantanal into the next example of the “tyranny of small decisions”" (2001). VIMS Articles. 1475. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsarticles/1475

In l996, at the request of then-president of SWS Bill Mitsch, a small group of SWS members formed the ad-hoc Pantanal Committee with the goal of exploring an issue of international importance to wetland science. This issue involved the proposal to develop a 3,440-km long navigational transport artery through the heart of South America and the impact of this waterway ( Hidrovia ) on the Pantantal,140,000 km2 of tropical flood-pulse environment famous for its abundance and diversity of flora and fauna. Committee members met with NGO's, government organisations, scientists, and others knowledgeable about the Pantanal, the Hidrovia, and related matters. We collected scientific information on the issue, and reviewed the proposed project activities in light of our best understanding of wetland hydrology and wetland functions. This article to the SWS membership summarizes the history surrounding this waterway project, a turbulent case of large-scale wetland protection and management ruled by a battle of information and disinformation. The text of this summary, both in English and Portuguese, will be submitted to the different parties involved in the issue of the Hidrovia.

Anemia in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) is multifactorial, and while the majority will respond to the paternal administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO), a role for coexistent plasma inhibitors and stimulators, such as burst-promoting activity (BPA), remains controversial. To evaluate the latter possibility, eight individuals with CRF on long-term hemodialysis, were studied before (mean hemoglobin 58.4 +/- 8.0 g/l and after 12 weeks of r-HuEPO therapy (mean hemoglobin 100.4 +/- 18.3 g/l). In vitro erythroid cultures using erythroid burst forming unit (BFU-E) and erythroid colony forming unit (CFU-E) assays were performed, plating 5 x 10(4) bone marrow mononuclear cells and comparing growth in heat-inactivated autologous serum with AB serum. Using Step III sheep erythropoietin (Connaught Laboratories, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada) (n = 4), mean BFU-E pre-therapy were 89.7 +/- 75.1, CFU-E were 418.5 +/- 150.6, whereas the corresponding figures in AB serum were 2.5 +/- 2.9 and 197 +/- 94.19, p = 0.1, p = 0.01, respectively. Similarly, with r-HuEPO (EPOCONN: Connaught Laboratories, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada) (n = 4), mean BFU-E were 145.25 +/- 103.3 in autologous serum and 31.0 +/- 56.75 in AB serum (p = 0.04). As controls, erythroid progenitors from two normal donors yielded 69 and 61 BFU-E colonies in autologous serum and 103 and 42 in AB serum; the corresponding CFU-E were 52 and 235 versus 136 and 137.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)