Current:Home > My"Out of control" wildfires are ravaging Brazil's wildlife-rich Pantanal wetlands-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
"Out of control" wildfires are ravaging Brazil's wildlife-rich Pantanal wetlands
lotradecoin volume View Date:2024-12-26 05:05:33
Poconã, Brazil — The Pantanal wetlands in western Brazil are famed as a paradise of biodiversity, but these days they have enormous clouds of smoke billowing over them, as raging wildfires reduce vast expanses to scorched earth.
Known for its lush landscapes and vibrant wildlife, including jaguars, caimans, macaws and monkeys, the Pantanal is home to the world's biggest tropical wetlands and, in normal times, a thriving ecotourism industry.
But in recent weeks it has been ravaged by fires that are threatening its iconic wildlife, as Brazil suffers through a southern hemisphere spring of droughts and record heat.
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 2022, according to satellite monitoring by Brazilian space research agency INPE.
"The situation is completely out of control. And between the heat wave and the wind, it's only going to get worse," says biologist Gustavo Figueiroa, 31, head of the environmental group SOS Pantanal.
"The Pantanal is a region that's used to fires. Normally, it regenerates naturally. But this many fires isn't normal."
The Pantanal sits at the southern edge of the Amazon rainforest — which was also devastated by unprecedented fires in 2019 — stretching from Brazil into Bolivia and Paraguay across more than 65,000 square miles.
It has been hit hard by drought this year, with normally flooded areas reduced to shriveled ponds.
At one such spot along the dirt highway across the region, the 95-mile "Transpantaneira," a small group of caimans can be seen trying to swim in the shallow water.
Nearby, the corpse of another sits rotting on the bank.
Elsewhere, a dead porcupine lays on a carpet of ash in the charred remains of what was once a forest.
"It probably died of smoke inhalation," says veterinarian Aracelli Hammann, who is volunteering with a wildlife rescue group.
They made the grim find in the Encontro das Aguas park, home to the world's largest jaguar population.
Nearly one-third of the park has been hit by fires in the past month, according to environmental group ICV.
The other main front that firefighters are battling is in the Pantanal National Park to the southwest, where fires have burned 24 percent of the surface area. Figueiroa warns the two fire fronts "are about to merge."
Exacerbating the situation, firefighters face huge logistical battles, given that many hard-hit areas are only reachable by boat.
Experts say the fires are mainly caused by human activity, especially burning land to clear it for farming. Climate conditions have only made things worse.
Experts say even when animals survive the flames, they risk starvation.
"We've seen a range of dead animals, including insects, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, which are unable to flee," says Figueiroa. "They're part of an invisible food chain, and each death has a domino effect, reaching all the way up to the apex predator, the jaguar."
In a clearing, a group of monkeys rushes to devour bananas and eggs left for them by volunteers.
"We call it 'gray hunger' — when fire reduces all the vegetation to ashes and there are no natural food sources left in the area for animals that survive the flames," says Jennifer Larreia, 33, head of animal rescue group E o Bicho.
In 2020, when wildfires also devastated the region, her organization provided 300 tons of fruit for animals in five months.
- In:
- Climate Change
- Brazil
- Amazon
- Wildfire
- Environment
- Wildfires
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Anchorage police shoot, kill teenage girl who had knife; 6th police shooting in 3 months
- The Sundance Film Festival unveils its lineup including Jennifer Lopez, Questlove and more
- Amazon's Thank My Driver feature returns: How to give a free $5 tip after delivery
- The Sundance Film Festival unveils its lineup including Jennifer Lopez, Questlove and more
- Justice Department defends Boeing plea deal against criticism by 737 Max crash victims’ families
- Lil Durk suspected of funding a 2022 murder as he seeks jail release in separate case
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Dropping Hints
- North Carolina announces 5
- Usher concert postponed hours before tour opener in Atlanta
- SCDF aids police in gaining entry to cluttered Bedok flat, discovers 73
Ranking
- Demi Lovato opens up about how 'daddy issues' led her to chase child stardom, success
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Singaporean killed in Johor expressway crash had just paid mum a surprise visit in Genting
- SCDF aids police in gaining entry to cluttered Bedok flat, discovers 73
- Big Georgia county to start charging some costs to people who challenge the eligibility of voters
- Manager of pet grooming salon charged over death of corgi that fell off table
- Mystery drones are swarming New Jersey skies, but can you shoot them down?
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
Recommendation
-
Sofía Vergara Responds After Joe Manganiello Says Her Reason for Divorce Is “Not True”
-
See Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's Twins Monroe and Moroccan Gift Her Flowers Onstage
-
Atmospheric river and potential bomb cyclone bring chaotic winter weather to East Coast
-
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
-
A slain teacher loved attending summer camp. His mom is working to give kids the same opportunity
-
Woody Allen and Soon
-
Google forges ahead with its next generation of AI technology while fending off a breakup threat
-
Morgan Wallen sentenced after pleading guilty in Nashville chair