pantano

Pantano is a Spanish term commonly used to denote a swamp, marsh or bog: a type of wetland where water saturates soil either permanently or seasonally. In many Spanish-speaking regions the word also colloquially refers to reservoirs or impounded bodies of water, particularly when formed in low-lying, marshy terrain. As a common noun it appears across Iberian, Latin American and other Romance-language contexts; it is also found as a surname and in place names.

Ecologically, pantanos are diverse wetland habitats that support high biological productivity and a distinctive assemblage of plants and animals adapted to waterlogged conditions. They provide critical ecosystem services, including flood attenuation, groundwater recharge, nutrient cycling, carbon storage and habitat for migratory birds, fish and amphibians. Types of pantanos range from seasonally flooded meadows and freshwater marshes to peat-forming bogs, depending on climate, hydrology and vegetation.

Human activities have substantially altered many pantanos through drainage for agriculture, urban development, pollution, dam construction and peat extraction. These changes can reduce biodiversity, release stored carbon and diminish water-quality benefits. Conservation and restoration efforts include legal protection, Ramsar designation for internationally important wetlands, rewetting and managed hydrology, invasive-species control and habitat restoration to recover ecological function and resilience.