The Cerrado was the Brazilian biome most affected by wildfires in September. Between the 01st and 30th of the month, 22.982 fire outbreaks were recorded there, more than double the number recorded during the same period last year (11.467). The data comes from the Fire Monitoring Program of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and warns that the situation could worsen, as October is usually a month with more severe fires in the biome.
“Extreme weather conditions, with very high air temperatures and very low relative humidity – common in the dry season, combined with the improper and careless use of fire by humans – culminate in an increase in fire outbreaks. In addition to the relationship between weather conditions and human action, fires are directly influenced by the amount of fuel available for burning,” commented technical advisor and PhD in Ecology, Lívia Moura.
According to Moura, wildfires bring a series of negative consequences to Brazilian society, such as damage to health, increased greenhouse gas emissions, loss of biodiversity, high costs for firefighting and recovery of burned areas, among others. She believes these negative consequences can be prevented through fire management in native Cerrado vegetation areas. “Integrated Fire Management (IFM) has been adopted by IBAMA and ICMBio with concrete results in reducing fires in conservation units, quilombola territories, and indigenous lands. IFM addresses a series of practices, but in many cases, it promotes prescribed burns before the dry season in order to reduce the amount of dry fuel, preventing fires, as well as protecting more sensitive vegetation types, such as riparian forests, in addition to houses and farmland,” she explains.
Renato Araújo, a forestry engineer and technical advisor at ISPN, also emphasizes other alternatives for preventing the impacts of wildfires. “Wildfire prevention involves actions such as adopting and disseminating agroecological production practices that do not depend on fire, public investment in training local and community fire brigades, as well as public campaigns and increased enforcement to deter criminal burning. Furthermore, it is important to value and recognize, through policies, the knowledge and practices of traditional peoples and communities, who are important agents for environmental conservation, including those related to the traditional use of fire,” he comments.
Outside the global spotlight, the Cerrado is the most threatened Brazilian biome.
The Cerrado, Brazil's second-largest biome, is responsible for 30% of Brazil's biodiversity and 5% of the planet's. It supplies six of the country's eight major hydrographic basins and plays a significant role in regulating the global climate. However, INPE's data for September, along with annual statistics on deforestation in the Brazilian savanna, reaffirm what researchers, organizations, and activists have always warned: the Cerrado is the most threatened biome in Brazil, yet it still receives very little attention from the media and public opinion.
Even with the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation and Wildfires (PPCerrado), launched in 2009 by the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), between 2016 and 2017 alone, more than 1,4 square kilometers were deforested in the biome, equivalent to 14 million football fields, according to data also from INPE. Despite this scenario, instead of investing in improvements and actions to enhance the efficiency of the PPCerrado, the trend is for the Plan to be weakened, possibly leading to its extinction in 2020.
What can be done to conserve the Cerrado?
Beyond investment in the Cerrado Conservation Program (PPCerrado), ISPN believes it is necessary to implement policies that encourage the reduction of deforestation, the restoration of native vegetation, and the sustainable use of the biome's biodiversity in productive eco-social landscapes. These measures and others are outlined in the document "Political Strategies for the Cerrado," launched by the Institute last year alongside several other civil society organizations. It guides decision-makers with strategies for protecting the biome and its people. There are 27 recommendations that address the economic, environmental, and social importance of the Cerrado. Access the document here.
Furthermore, ISPN, which is part of the National Campaign in Defense of the Cerrado and the Cerrado Network, also believes that an important path to protecting the biome is the approval of Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC) 504/2010, which corrects a historical error in our constitution and recognizes the Cerrado and Caatinga as National Heritage sites. In September, a public petition in favor of the PEC with more than 570 signatures was delivered to the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo Maia. Learn more, click here.