The largest continuous wetland area on the planet, the Pantanal, recorded 9,014 fire outbreaks 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 impressive, besides 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 River 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 the municipalities affected by the fires.
Data from the National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency (ANA) shows that drought conditions have intensified in the state since the end of May, leading to an exponential increase in heat spots.
A survey recently released by MapBiomas shows that, proportionally, the Pantanal is the most affected biome by fires in the last 39 years. It reached 9 million hectares — 59.2% of the territory.
From 1985 to 2023, the municipality of Corumbá, in Mato Grosso do Sul, recorded the highest number of 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 lives,” says the state decree, which also estimates a loss of more than R$ 17 billion for Pantanal agriculture.
Source: Agência Brasil