The Pantanal of Brazil, The world’s largest tropical wetland area is on fire. It is one of the most biodiverse places on earth and the fires raging there are devastating.
According to reports, Nearly 2 million acres have burned as fires rage across the region, marking the most destructive fire season since 2019/2020, when the Amazon rainforest was on fireAccording to the Brazilian Institute for Space Research, there has been a 1,500 percent increase in fires this year compared to the same period — from January to July — last year. “By the end of May 2024,” NASA wrote“Almost the entire Pantanal region was classified as experiencing extreme drought.”
The Pantanal is an amazing place. Although most of it is in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, parts of it extend into Bolivia and Paraguay. Its size is estimated at between 54,000 and 75,000 square miles and it is extremely important to the ecosystem of the region.
During the rainy season, about 80 percent of the Pantanal is under water. The aquatic plants that thrive there provide shelter for a wide variety of animals, many of which have perished in the fires. Howler monkeys, rheas, jaguars, crocodiles, and many vulnerable and endangered species such as giant otters and giant armadillos are dying in staggering numbers. If things continue as they are, this will be Brazil’s most devastating forest fire year in decades.
“The impact is devastating. Animals are dying, forest fires are wiping out huge areas,” said Gustavo Figueirôa, a biologist with a nongovernmental organization called SOS Pantanal, The guard“We expect that it will only get worse.”
In normal years, the rainy season goes through something called a “flood pulse.” As the dry season approaches, the floods recede, but as the climate changes, that seasonal pattern is drier than normal wet seasons. Of course, that means that when the dry season comes, everything is drier. And this year, it’s been described as “a powder keg.”
“The fires are a signal – nature is raising a flag,” said Pierre Girard of the Federal University of Mato Grosso. “We had fires before, but now thousands and thousands of hectares are burning every year. We are losing the battle.”
Locals are very worried about their homes, animals and lives. “The fires are getting worse every year,” said Jane Silva. “We thought this year’s fires were out, but the wind has revived them. Now it’s getting closer. The Pantanal is dying, but we have nowhere to go.”
Hospitals in the area are filled to the brim with people suffering mainly from respiratory problems caused by the choking smoke. While people can escape, the many animals that live in the Pantanal cannot.
“In one week I have already seen hundreds and hundreds of dead animals, maybe thousands,” said Luka Moraes, a local veterinarian, The guard“Reptiles, snakes, frogs – any animal that can’t run – doesn’t stand a chance.”
Although the Pantanal has natural forest fires, many more are caused by humans. For centuries, ranchers have burned land to clear it for cattle, but these were usually contained by the water in the Pantanal. As it dries, these fires can turn into raging infernos.
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