The largest continuous wetland area on the planet, the Pantanal recorded 9,014 fire hotspots in the last 12 months, nearly seven times more than the 1,298 recorded in the same period last year. The data comes from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). Particularly striking, in addition to the higher number of fires, is the early onset of the problem, which in previous years only intensified from August.
Located in the Upper Paraguay basin, the biome covers an area of 138,183 km², with 65% of its territory in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and 35% in Mato Grosso.
In light of the extraordinary drought affecting the biome, the government of Mato Grosso do Sul declared a state of emergency in municipalities affected by the wildfires.
Data from the National Water and Sanitation Agency (ANA) show that there has been an intensification of drought conditions in the state since the end of May, leading to an exponential increase in hotspots.
A survey recently released by MapBiomas shows that, proportionally, the Pantanal is the biome most affected by wildfires in the last 39 years, covering 9 million hectares – 59.2% of the territory.
From 1985 to 2023, the municipality of Corumbá, in Mato Grosso do Sul, recorded the most fires in the entire country, and the Pantanal was the region with the most “fire scars” in native vegetation, with 25% of the territory affected by the marks.
“The damage caused by the fires is significant, both in terms of environmental aspects and economic losses. It is related to various factors – including vegetation, soil, fauna, material goods, and human life,” says the state decree, which also estimates a loss of more than R$ 17 billion for local agriculture.
Source: Agência Brasil