This interview, dedicated to the experience of the members of the Museo Verde association, was kindly granted to us by Erasmo Duarte. He lives in the Pantanal region, the largest wetland in the world, an immense alluvial plain subject to periodic flooding, considered the ecosystem with the greatest number of species of flora and fauna in the world. It is in this area, so important for biodiversity that the WWF has identified it as one of the planet's ecoregions, that Erasmo works and has raised his family, coming into contact with the natives of Kadiweu.
The testimony kindly offered by Erasmo Duarte is an important insight into the territorial reality of the Pantanal and the community of Puerto Murtinho, places that are still too little known and valued as part of the great geographical and cultural resource that is the Gran Chaco basin. In particular, Erasmo Duarte's valuable contribution gives us an insight into the undertakings and challenges that the non-profit organisation Museo Verde intends to address in the near future, with a specific focus on the environmental issues affecting the Pantanal plain, as well as the impact that Covid 19 is having on the daily life of the Kadweu community and on the livelihoods of the Gran Chaco populations as a whole.

MUSEO VERDE: How did your story in the Gran Chaco begin?
ERASMUS: I have been living for 11 years in the city of Porto Murtinho, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, which borders Paraguay, in the Gran Chaco region, living on the banks of the great Paraguay River. In the municipality where I live there is a large area of land belonging to the Kadweus Indians. Before visiting the Museo Verde, I had already had contact with the villages where these Indians live, which are about 400 km from the city of Porto Murtinho. The Adhoreus Indians live on the other side of the Paraguay River. When the people from the Museo Verde went to visit this indigenous community, they moved to the Brazilian side and I had the first contact with them and told them about the Kadweu people and we started to visit some villages, it happened in 2017. People who were part of this group: Gherardo la Francesca, Father José Zanardini and Calixto Seguier.

MV: How do you experience the pandemic?
E: The Kadweu live very far from the city of Porto Murtinho, the villages are closer to other cities such as Bonito and Bodoquena. They don't come to Porto Murtinho very often, even though the villages are in that municipality. But the pandemic has brought us problems both in the municipality and in the villages. My wife and I are traders, we have a hotel and a lottery. The economic impact has been great. Here, where I live, there have been more than 500 confirmed cases and 18 deaths. The Covid 19 problem has also entered the indigenous communities: for all of us the feeling is one of fear and insecurity.

MV: What impact has climate change had and how has your community perceived it?
E: In terms of the environment, the problem that has affected us most has been the drought, the lack of rain and a big fire that consumed a large part of our beloved Pantanal, which is the largest floodplain in the world. The Paraguay River, which is a navigable river for large ships, became too low, preventing the movement of large ships. The year 2020 was a very difficult year for the whole region of the Gran Chaco and the Pantanal. It has greatly affected the economy, both in the city and in the countryside.

MV: What is your contribution to the Museo Verde Association?
E: My contribution is small, I live 400 km away from the nearest villages. I go to some villages twice a year. Of course, I have frequent contact with them through the internet. When the locals come to Porto Murtinho, we are a reference for them. They come to my house, they have support in everything we can help. I am a representative of the Museo Verde here in Brazil, at the invitation of my friend Gherardo La Francesca. I am passionate about the projects of our association. We already have some more direct work in two villages, A São João and Alves de Barros.
MV: Tell us about your community's future projects.
E: For the future, our aim is to show the Kadweu people the values of history, culture and beautiful traditions that only they have. In the visits and contacts we have with them, we try to find ways to motivate them in these matters. A few months ago, Gherardo sent a very well prepared material on the indigenous part to the Ministry of Education to be passed on to the school coordinators and teachers. This material is of great value to them. However, they are not taking face-to-face classes because of the pandemic. But we will insist with them on knowing this material. There is a village that managed to build a big shed for their festivals and cultural performances. In this village there is an association of women who make ceramic pieces. Our conversation with them is a help with the donation of five panels with pictures and explanations of some symbols of the Kadweu culture. I confess that the pandemic problem has slowed down our work a lot. In conclusion, I would like to say that we remain firm and strong in faith and hope.