The Pantanal wetlands in western Brazil is now experiencing intense, and out of control wildfires, which is severely hurting all forms of life. The Pantanal wetlands in western Brazil was once viewed as a paradise of biodiversity, but now this area is covered by clouds of smoke since the beginning of November. The Pantanal is home to the world’s biggest tropical wetlands and, in normal times, a thriving eco-tourism industry. November has consisted of raging wildfires in this area, reducing vast expanses to scorched earth. There were 2,387 fires in the Pantanal in the first 13 days of November, an increase of more than 1,000 percent from the entire month of November last year, according to satellite monitoring by Brazilian space research agency INPE. Although this region is accustomed to wildfires, and usually able to regenerate naturally, these current fires are so severe that regeneration naturally is no longer possible. In the Encontro das Aguas park, home to the world’s largest jaguar population, nearly one-third of it has been hit by fires in the past month, according to environmental group ICV.
However, these intense fires have been occurring not just in November, but for all of 2023. An astonishing 11.8 million acres of Brazil’s Amazon have been scorched from January to September 2023. Many of these fires have been a result of Industrial agriculture and cattle-ranching. It is important to take action and protect what land is left, one way in doing so is expanding and securing land rights of Indigenous peoples. Ultimately that is one of the best ways to protect the Amazon from future drastic fires.
Written By: Charlotte A
