“The climate as we know it today is no longer the same…”
Daniel Silva is conservation specialist at WWF Brasil, has a degree in biology, a M.Sc. from Aix-Marseille University, and a Ph.D. from Université de Lorraine.
Daniel Silva, conservation specialist
AgriBrasilis – What is causing the increase in cases of fires in Brazilian biomes?
Daniel Silva – Fires are the result of several factors. The first is drought, which is closely related to climate change. The longer and more intense the drought, the greater the risk of fires. Deforestation and ecosystem degradation also contribute significantly. In addition, the use of fire in agricultural practices can also increase the risk of uncontrolled fires occurring during the dry season.
AgriBrasilis – Is the situation expected to worsen?
Daniel Silva – Yes, clearly. We are seeing that years with many fires are becoming more and more frequent. Catastrophic events are no longer rare. Extreme drought events are becoming more frequent due to climate change. The climate as we know it today is no longer the same.
“In the Pantanal biome, fires affect more than 80% of native vegetation…”
AgriBrasilis – How much was each biome affected in 2024? Are the fires still concentrated in primary forest areas?
Daniel Silva – In terms of the number of accumulated fires in 2024, detected by the Programa Queimadas (Fires Program) from the National Institute for Space Research – INPE (BDQueimadas – Programa Queimadas), the biomes had:
|
Amazon |
138204 |
+42% |
|
Caatinga |
18155 | -11% |
|
Cerrado |
80645 | +61% |
|
Atlantic Forest |
21063 |
+84% |
| Pampa | 419 |
-41% |
| Pantanal | 14495 |
+131% |
| All the biomes | 272981 |
+47% |
In burned area (km²) by biome in 2024 until November:
|
Amazon |
153277 |
|
Caatinga |
97502 |
|
Cerrado |
239268 |
| Atlantic Forest |
46698 |
|
Pampa |
289 |
|
Pantanal |
27119 |
|
Annual total |
564153 |
Depending on the biome, fires will not affect primary vegetation in the same way. This is related to the differences in characteristics of the types of vegetation between biomes. For example, the Amazon has more humid and dense forests, which are not conducive to the spread of fires. However, if there is a level of degradation and/or drought, fires can enter.
According to data from INPE (Queimadas X Desmatamento – Queimadas X CAR):
In the Amazon, 22% of fires are caused by fires in native vegetation. The rest is equally divided between recently and previously deforested areas. In the Cerrado, this figure is higher, 35%, because the vegetation is more open and drier. Fire has always been part of the ecology of the Cerrado, unlike in the Amazon. In the Pantanal biome, fires affect more than 80% of native vegetation. When we are in a period of severe drought, the native grasslands of the Pantanal are very vulnerable to fires, which facilitate their spread.
AgriBrasilis – What is being done to reduce fire outbreaks?
Daniel Silva – The government has made commitments and has already increased efforts to prevent and control fires. The National Policy for Integrated Fire Management, known as the MIF law, was voted on and needs to be regulated. It provides for a series of preventive actions such as integrated fire management and palliative actions such as support for fire brigades. Prevention is critical, given that we are in a climate crisis scenario.
Deforestation is one of the causes of the increase in fires: fire is used to clear deforested areas and can escape into native vegetation. Deforestation also further aggravates the climate crisis, which favors fires. Eradicating deforestation is therefore essential to controlling fires.
The government is committed to eliminating deforestation by 2030, but despite having observed a decrease in the Amazon, the situation is critical in the Cerrado and Pantanal. We need urgent measures to combat deforestation and move towards zero deforestation.
AgriBrasilis – What are the costs and time required to mitigate this problem?
Daniel Silva – The costs of fire prevention are undoubtedly much lower than the cost of the uncontrolled fires we have experienced this year. In addition to generating costs for human health, fires generate large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, destroy Brazilians’ natural heritage, and require expensive infrastructure and logistics to combat them in the field. If governments make the necessary efforts to implement the MIF law, and if the government and companies respect their commitments to zero deforestation, then we will overcome this catastrophic scenario.
AgriBrasilis – To what extent is the action of rich countries necessary?
Daniel Silva – Rich countries must contribute financially to the implementation of public policies for integrated fire management and to support agencies and organizations that work to combat and control fires. Climate change, which favors droughts and then fires, is not only the result of deforestation in Brazil, but also of CO2 emissions from rich countries. It is critical that Brazil receives financial support.
AgriBrasilis – What is Integrated Fire Management and why is it important?
Daniel Silva – Integrated Fire Management (IFM) is an obvious response to fires and the bleak climate scenario that is emerging. IFM encompasses many aspects of fire, such as ecology, culture, economics and fire science. The goal of IFM is to reduce the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of fires. To this end, IFM seeks to raise awareness and train stakeholders in the territory, such as local populations, in the use of fire. It also includes fire prevention actions, fire monitoring and fighting, use of controlled and prescribed burns and ecosystem rehabilitation.
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