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Brazil Fire

Brazil Faces Devastating Fires: Nearly A Quarter Of Territory Burned Over Four Decades

Between 1985 and 2023, fires burned 23 percent of Brazil's territory, with the Cerrado and Amazon biomes being the most affected. The majority of fires occurred during the dry season and were primarily human-caused. The data underscores the need for enhanced fire management and prevention strategies.

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Aqsa Younas Rana
New Update
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Between 1985 and 2023, fires affected nearly a quarter of Brazil's land, mainly in the Cerrado and Amazon biomes.

Nearly a quarter of Brazil's territory caught fire at least once between 1985 and 2023, affecting 199.1 million hectares, or 23 percent of the country's land area. The areas most impacted by fires include the Cerrado and the Amazon, which together account for 86 percent of the burned regions. The fires predominantly affected native vegetation (68.4 percent), while the remaining 31.6 percent was influenced by human activities, particularly farming.

The data, released on June 18 by MapBiomas Fogo, was gathered through satellite imagery comparisons. This network, consisting of universities, non-governmental organizations, and technology companies, allows researchers to analyze the size and historical patterns of burned areas. However, pinpointing the exact causes of the fires remains challenging.

Why This Matters: Ane Alencar, coordinator of MapBiomas Fogo and director of Science at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), explained that most fires are not of natural origin, which are typically caused by lightning. This conclusion is based on the timing of the fires, which mostly occur during the dry months of August and September. "The areas that burn the most—the Cerrado, the Amazon, and now, unfortunately, the Pantanal—experience fires mainly during the dry season, when electrical discharges from storms are unlikely," Alencar noted.

The survey reveals that a significant portion of the burned native vegetation remains unoccupied by humans. Only a small percentage of the affected areas are primarily pastureland. Nearly half (46 percent) of the burned area is concentrated in three states: Mato Grosso, Pará, and Maranhão. Of every 100 hectares burned, 60 are on private land.

The municipalities with the highest burn rates between 1985 and 2023 were Corumbá (Mato Grosso do Sul) in the Pantanal biome, followed by São Felix do Xingu (Pará) in the Amazon biome, and Formosa do Rio Preto (Bahia) in the Cerrado biome. The MapBiomas survey also indicates that approximately 65 percent of the area affected by fire experienced repeated burning between 1985 and 2023, with an average of 18.3 million hectares affected by fire each year.

Key Takeaways:

  • 23% of Brazil's land area burned between 1985 and 2023.
  • Fires mainly affected the Cerrado and Amazon biomes, accounting for 86%.
  • 68.4% of burned areas were native vegetation; 31.6% were human-influenced.
  • 46% of burned land concentrated in Mato Grosso, Pará, and Maranhão.
  • 65% of affected areas experienced repeated burning over the four decades.

 

Brazil Wildfire