Almost a quarter of Brazil’s territory caught fire at least once between 1985 and 2023, covering 199.1 million hectares, or 23% of the country’s land area.
Of the area affected by fire, 68.4% was native vegetation, while 31.6% was influenced by human activities, particularly agriculture. The Cerrado and the Amazon are the main biomes impacted by fires, whether natural or man-made, accounting for 86% of the burned area.
The data, obtained by comparing satellite images, is part of a study released by MapBiomas Fogo, a network of universities, non-governmental organizations, and technology companies in Brazil.
Using satellite images, researchers can analyze the size and historical patterns of burned areas but cannot identify the exact cause of the fires.
However, Ane Alencar, coordinator of MapBiomas Fogo and director of Science at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), explained to Agência Brasil that it is possible to determine that most fires are not of natural origin, which are typically caused by lightning.
This conclusion is mainly based on the fact that most fires occur during August and September.
“The areas that burn the most — the Cerrado, the Amazon, and now, unfortunately, the Pantanal — have fires mainly in the dry season when lightning strikes from storms are unlikely,” says Ane Alencar.
Trends
The MapBiomas researcher notes that since the early 2000s, incentives for better environmental management have helped control fires. “Deforestation has decreased, and the burned area has also,” she explains.
However, according to her, starting in 2019, “there was a significant increase in both deforestation and the burned area.”
She adds that in 2023, the increase in fires persisted due to climate change, which led to severe droughts. These conditions contributed to the soil becoming more susceptible to the spread of fires.
“What happened in 2023, especially in the Amazon, is that in regions where deforestation decreased, there was also an overall reduction in fires, including burnings and forest fires,” she notes.
Source: Agência Brasil