But in other ways, says Mr Luperi, the “era has changed”, on-screen and off it.Over three decades deforestation in the Amazon has disturbed rainfall and flood patterns in the Pantanal.On the single-lane highways that cut through the vast cattle ranches, signs still warn drivers about armadillos and anteaters crossing the road.But sightings of them are rarer.Charred palm trees recall the fires that in 2020 blazed through roughly a quarter of the region, killing 17m vertebrates by some estimates.In the Pantanal’s southern reaches, a visitor’s best chance of spotting the jaguar, its most legendary creature, is now in the rice fields, not on the plains.The telenovela writer should illuminate these changes, Mr Luperi thinks.Man’s relationship with nature is at the core of the show, he explains.Characters monitor crops and the silt building up in rivers.The show’s new generation of ranchers press their elders to farm their land in a more sustainable way.In 1990 Velho do Rio (Old Man of the River), a magically shape-shifting character, was one of the first figures in a Brazilian soap opera to defend the environment.This time around he comports himself like an activist.
但卢佩里表示，在其他方面，“时代已经改变了”，银幕内外都是如此。三十多年来，亚马逊的森林砍伐扰乱了潘塔纳尔的降雨和洪水模式。在穿过巨大养牛场的单车道高速公路上，仍有指示牌警告司机注意横穿马路的犰狳和食蚁兽。但它们的身影却越来越少见。烧焦的棕榈树让人想起2020年的大火，那场大火席卷了该地区四分之一左右的面积，据估计，造成了1700万脊椎动物死亡。如今，在潘塔纳尔的南部河段，游客最容易发现当地最传奇的生物――美洲豹的地点并非平原，而是稻田。卢佩里认为，这部剧的编剧应该把这些变化写出来。他解释到，这部剧的核心是人类与自然的关系。角色们负责监察庄稼和河流中堆积的泥沙。这部剧的新一代牧场主敦促他们的长辈以更可持续的方式耕种土地。1990年，神奇的变身角色Velho do Rio(河边的老人)是巴西肥皂剧中保护环境的首批人物之一。这一次，他的行为举止像一名活动人士。
