Survey detected 22.38 million hectares affected by fire from January to September 2024; the area increased by 150% compared to 2023
The vegetation area impacted by fires in Brazil was 22.38 million hectares from January to September 2024. The number is 150% greater than that recorded in the same period in 2023 (8.8 million) and compares to the territory of State of Roraima. The survey was carried out by Fire Monitorfrom MapBiomas.
According to the mapping, more than half of the burned area in Brazil (56%) is concentrated in 3 states: Mato Grosso, Pará and Tocantins. Alone, Mato Grosso accounts for 25% of the total, with 5.5 million hectares burned in 9 months.
Pará and Tocantins came in 2nd and 3rd place, with 4.6 million and 2.6 million hectares affected, respectively. The municipalities with the largest affected areas were São Félix do Xingu (PA) and Corumbá (MS), with 1 million hectares and 741 thousand hectares burned, in that order.
Furthermore, 73% of the affected area consisted of areas of native vegetation, mainly forest formations. Among the areas of agricultural use, planted pastures stood out, with 4.6 million hectares consumed.
SEPTEMBER WAS THE MOST CRITICAL MONTH
The month of September stood out as the peak of this year’s fires, with 10.65 million hectares affected. In August, the extent of the affected area was 5.65 million hectares – a 90% jump.
Compared to September 2023, the increase was even greater: 181%, or 6.8 million more hectares burned. The extent of the area burned in September alone corresponds to 47.6% of the entire area burned in Brazil up to that month in 2024.
MOST AFFECTED BIOMES
More than half (51%, or 11.3 million hectares) of the area burned in the first 9 months of this year is in the Amazon, making it the most affected biome. The location was also the most affected in September, with 5.5 million hectares burned. The number is 196% higher compared to September last year.
According to MapBiomas, half of what was burned was forest formations (2.8 million hectares burned). The other 33% (1.8 million hectares) were pasture areas.
The Cerrado was the 2nd biome most affected by fire in September, with 4.3 million hectares burned, followed by the Pantanal, with 1.5 million.
According to Vera Arruda, researcher at the IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) and technical coordinator of the Fire Monitor, at Mapbiomas, the period of extreme drought has influenced the spread of fire.
“September marks the peak of the drought in the Cerrado and this makes the impact of the fire even more severe. With the vegetation extremely dry and vulnerable, the fire spreads quickly, resulting in poor air quality in nearby cities, affecting the health of urban and rural populations.”he stated.
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