Forest fires in Brazil caused a loss of R$ 1.1 billion in six years

In addition to human losses and environmental damage, fires and forest fires in Brazil have caused, in the last six years, damages in excess of R$ 1.1 billion to the country’s public coffers. The data comes from a survey released this Friday (19) by the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM), based on data from the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) and the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama ).

“To contain fire situations, the main government expenditure is the purchase of equipment, such as hoses, earmuffs, protective clothing. In addition, we have hired firefighters, who need to be on standby to put out fires. Nor can we forget the damage to various economic sectors that are indirectly impacted, such as agriculture,” said environmentalist Sérgio Ricardo.

According to the survey, Mato Grosso do Sul was the state that had the greatest loss from fires between 2016 and 2021. During the period, the region accumulated 46% of the total national expenses generated by fires. In second appears the State of Mato Grosso, with R$ 304.2 million in losses – which corresponds to 26.2% of all losses in the country. In third comes Minas Gerais, with R$ 107.8 million.

Fires can occur naturally, due to lightning strikes or high temperatures, or artificial, caused by human action. The fires generated by men usually happen with the intention of creating space for pastures or agricultural areas. Furthermore, burnings can be initiated by negligent acts, such as the incorrect disposal of cigarette butts.

On the other hand, the CNM claims that the federal government invested R$376.2 million in actions to prevent and fight fires and fires in the last six years. The amount represents only 32% of the budget needed to cover all expenses generated by fires in Brazil.

The CNM claims that data on the investments made by the Union in the period were provided by the Ministry of Environment itself. THE CNN it sought out the federal government to find out when and if it intends to increase the amount to cover the expenses generated by the fires and is awaiting a return.

Regions most affected by fires

The study details that the Amazon region was the most affected by fires between 2016 and 2021. According to the CNM, the biome suffered 47.1% of fires in the period, followed by the Cerrado with 31.8% and the Atlantic Forest with 8.9 %. In absolute values, the Amazon has 518,997 records and the Cerrado, 350,064.

The State of Pará was the one with the highest number of fires, with 191 thousand occurrences – corresponding to 16.3% of the total number of fires in the country. Mato Grosso do Sul ranks second, with the equivalent of 11.1% of fires. In third, Maranhão, with 115,607, corresponding to 9.8%.

human losses

The survey also shows that human losses have shown significant numbers in the last six years, due to fires. In this period alone, 12 people were killed, 17 were injured and 4.7 thousand were displaced due to fires.

“Forest fires, in addition to burning crops, pastures and natural areas, can affect houses, sheds, warehouses and rural facilities, such as barns, chicken coops, nurseries, pigsties, corrals, etc. and directly and indirectly causing a lot of human damage, such as: deaths, burns, respiratory problems when inhaling toxic smoke, among others”, highlights an excerpt of the research.