The government of Mato Grosso do Sul declared an environmental emergency due to forest fires in the state. The decree was signed by governor Eduardo Riedel (PSDB) during a seminar.
The state has faced challenges in combating fires due to the volume of rainfall below the historical average since December 2023. According to the state government, the fire outbreaks recorded this year are equivalent to double the same period last year.
The decree is valid for 180 days and provides, among other measures, for the investment of R$25 million and authorizes the adoption of measures for temporary staff hiring.
“We have R$25 million in resources for preventive action, ready to be used to prevent us from having millions of hectares burned. We are preparing to minimize if any problems occur,” said the governor.
According to the decree, the Mato Grosso do Sul Environmental Institute (Imasul) will be the only one authorized to carry out controlled burning, an activity previously carried out by non-governmental organizations, farmers and traditional residents. Furthermore, preventive prescribed burning must follow the routines established by the Integrated State Coordination Center.
The state's Secretary of Environment, Development, Science, Technology and Innovation, Jaime Verruck, highlighted the “innovation” of the plan.
“The decree is for the entire state, with special attention to the Pantanal. We are proposing prescribed burning, which is a reversal of logic, with the state identifying places with biomass accumulation. It’s an innovation from a firefighting perspective,” said Verruck.
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Source: CNN Brasil
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