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The Pantanal is already registered the highest monthly number of arson since the beginning of the historical series of the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), in 1998: 6,048 fire points recorded in the biome from September 1 to Wednesday (23), the most recent data. The previous monthly record was August 2005, when there were 5,993 fires in the biome.
Compared to 2019, when September had 2,887 outbreaks detected in 30 days, the same month of 2020 already shows an increase of 109%. The number of outbreaks this month is 211% higher than Inpe’s historical average for September, which is 1,944 fire points.
Months with the most fires in the Pantanal, 1998-2020
Source: Inpe
This month was already the September with the most fires in the biome. In August, the second highest number of fires of the month was recorded; Julio also posted a monthly record.
- AUGUST: Pantanal has the second highest number of fires in August since the start of the measurements; outbreaks detected in the Amazon exceed the historical average
- JULY: Pantanal has the month of July with the most fires since the INPE measurements began
The region faces a lack of rain that contributes to the problem of fires: it is the longest dry spell in 47 years, according to SOS Pantanal executive director Felipe Augusto Dias. He believes that the rain is the only prospect of improvement in the situation.
5 points about burning in the Pantanal
- The six factors that make it difficult to control fires in the Pantanal
Three months before its completion, 2020 also broke the one-year burning record for the biome: 16,201 outbreaks were recorded from January to Wednesday (23). Previously, the highest number had been recorded in 2005, with 12,536 outbreaks throughout the year. The increase is approximately 29% (see graph).
Annual fires in the Pantanal (2005-20)
The previous record, 2005, was broken three months before the end of the year; high is about 29%
Source: Inpe
The fire has already destroyed 85% of the Encontro das Águas State Park, a refuge for jaguars. Inpe data also indicate that, until August 31, there was a 12% loss of the biome this year, it was 18.6 km². This survey is published monthly.
- PHOTOS: Transpantareira Highway before and after the Pantanal fires
In the photo, a burned stretch of the Amazon is seen near Apuí, in the Amazon, on August 11. – Photo: Ueslei Marcelino / Reuters
The Amazon has also recorded more fires this month than in all of September last year. In September 2019, there were 19,925 hot spots; this year, as of Wednesday (23), there were 28,279 outbreaks, an increase of about 42%.
There is also an increase in the total annual number of fires. From January to September 30, 2019, 66,749 fires were recorded in the forest. This year, from January to 23 this month, they were 72,292, an increase of 8.3%.
Adding Amazonia and Pantanal, Brazil lost 53,019 km² of native forest due to fires until August 31. The number is equivalent to 34 cities in São Paulo, or almost the sum of the areas of the states of Sergipe and Alagoas.
Agricultural workers are seen near the fire on a farm in the Pantanal, in Poconé (MT) – Photo: Amanda Perobelli / Reuters
Inpe’s data have sparked clashes with members of the federal government.
On Tuesday (22), in a speech at the UN General Assembly, President Jair Bolsonaro said that Brazil was a “victim” of a “brutal” disinformation campaign about the Amazon and the Pantanal. The president said that the Amazon rainforest is humid and only burns at the edges, and that those responsible for the burning are “Indians” and “caboclos.” The statement, however, is false, according to the G1 with experts in the field.
In the same speech, Bolsonaro also said that “the great fires [no Pantanal] they are inevitable consequences of the high local temperature, added to the accumulation of decomposing organic mass. “This statement, however, is also false, according to the G1 with experts on the subject.
Last week, Vice President Hamilton Mourão said that “someone” from the institute who “opposes” the Bolsonaro government prioritizes the release of negative data on burning in the Amazon.
Mourão also said he was unaware that the data on the fires are public and asked the institute for a qualitative analysis.
On the 11th, the vice president declared that the Inpe “contradicts itself” with respect to the data on fires in the Amazon. The speech came after being asked about a report published by the newspaper “O Globo”, which showed an increase in the number of fires from January to September 9 of this year compared to last year.
In an interview with G1Alberto Setzer, coordinator of Inpe’s fire monitoring program, warned that there are no contradictions and “different periods” are being compared. (Please understand the details in this link). September, he explains, is the month when the forest burns the most.
“September is the month with the most outbreaks. We have to wait until September to be able to give a more solid analysis. It doesn’t make sense to leave the most memorable month of all, ”Setzer said.
See VIDEOS about the fires in the Pantanal:
