Brazil is intensifying efforts to improve its wildfire management system, focusing on the prevention of wildland fires. The total area affected by fires and the number of incidents have significantly increased in recent years.
A recent order from Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change has declared an environmental emergency in several regions, primarily across the Amazon Basin. This declaration, prompted by a high risk of forest and wildland fires, is expected to remain in effect for the next several months.
According to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil experienced record deforestation due to fires in 2022, with 290.75 square kilometers of land and forest lost. Although the situation has stabilized somewhat since the beginning of 2023, risks remain high.
A survey by Monitor do Fogo, part of the MapBiomas platform, in collaboration with the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), revealed that last year, wildland fires in Brazil affected 2.7 million hectares. This figure may rise further this year. The Amazon rainforest, in particular, saw a 111% increase in burned area, with 2 million hectares destroyed.
The impact on the ecosystem is severe. IPAM Science Director Ane Alencar noted, “Even a single fire has huge impacts on the vegetation structure, as degraded forests store 25% less carbon for at least 30 years.”
Experts confirm the complexity of the wildfire situation. WWF-Brazil analysts report that Brazil remains the second most affected country in South America, after Venezuela, with a notable increase in fires in recent months.
From January to May of this year, the number of wildfires in Brazil nearly quadrupled, rising from 937 to 3,602. The most severe conditions are observed in the state of Mato Grosso, located in the Midwest region, which encompasses both the Cerrado and Amazon regions.
Analysts anticipate a challenging year for Brazil in 2024 due to the ongoing risk of wildfires, exacerbated by the El Niño climate phenomenon and a high risk of droughts in regions like the Amazon.
In response, the Brazilian government is taking preventive measures, including expanding fire brigades and increasing resources for wildfire management. More active hiring of fire brigades is planned starting in September 2024. Additionally, measures are being implemented to prevent further deforestation, which increases the risk of wildfires.
There is hope that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will take decisive actions to avoid a repeat of last year’s wildfire situation, which was attributed to inadequate prevention measures by the previous administration under President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro’s environmental and firefighting policies were criticized for their low efficiency and insufficient funding, and the previous government was accused of dismantling environmental protection policies and misattributing the causes of fires.
The current administration plans to increase controlled and prescribed burning as a preventive measure. For instance, since December 2022, some regions of the Cerrado have been using prescribed burns to reduce fuel accumulation.
Reports indicate that many Brazilian states are preparing controlled burning calendars and tightening security measures, as intentional fires have been a major issue in recent years. The Ministry of Justice will coordinate the work of over 6,000 new security agents hired to combat wildfires, with a focus on the Amazon, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, and Pantanal regions. Greenpeace Brazil highlights the importance of these efforts given the Pantanal’s status as a biodiversity hotspot.
The Ministry of Justice will oversee these security agents, funded by the federal government. They will monitor major fire outbreaks and investigate crimes related to wildfires.
Approximately 90% of forest and wildland fires in Brazil are caused by criminal activity, including clearing land for pastures and road construction, as well as the expansion of agribusiness.
Special attention will be given to the state of Amazonas, which contains the largest continuous dense tropical forests on the planet. The Amazon rainforest is naturally humid, making natural fires rare; human activity significantly increases the risk.
One key goal is to prevent massive fires similar to those in previous years. For example, a large fire in September 2022 devastated Brasília National Park, destroying over 3,500 hectares of forest and sparking significant concern.
Vera Arruda, a senior expert at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, emphasized that wildfires in Brazil are not just an environmental issue but also a social, cultural, political, and economic one.
The Ministry of Environment’s study indicates that three out of four hectares destroyed by fires this year were native vegetation, primarily natural grasslands, and one out of five were forests. Experts believe that 90% of forest fires in Brazil could be prevented with adequate state action.
