Amid a wave of forest fires in Brazil, firefighters have managed to reduce the extent of the flames that burned for two days and destroyed 20% of Brasilia’s National Forest. The area is a conservation area that extends over 5,600 hectares of forest that protects the springs that are the source of 70% of the city’s fresh water.
The forest was nearly halved in size in 2022 to make way for urban development by the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who reduced environmental controls and allowed deforestation in the Amazon rainforest to increase. The fire broke out at the peak of the dry season, when vegetation is parched and temperatures are high, allowing the flames to spread quickly.
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