Cattle ranch

Ranching in South America

In the colonial period, from the pampas regions of South America all the way to the Minas Gerais state in Brazil, including the semi-arid pampas of Argentina and the south of Brazil, were often well-suited to ranching, and a tradition developed that largely paralleled that of Mexico and the United States. The gaucho culture of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay are among the cattle ranching traditions born during the period. The importation of cattle was fundamental to Iberian colonialism and led to a “civilization of leather.”  There were major consequences from importing  livestock, such as ecological and landscape changes.  However, in the 20th century, cattle raising expanded into less-suitable areas of the Pantanal. Particularly in Brazil, the 20th century marked the rapid growth of deforestation, as rain forest lands were cleared by slash and burn methods that allowed grass to grow for livestock, but also led to the depletion of the land within only a few years. These nutrient deficient lands attract ranchers, and this will cause the area to stay desolate because the livestock will generally graze and keep foliage low to nonexistent.