A CNN, the president of the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), Rodrigo Agostinho, said that “the Institute’s total priority is to combat forest fires that are occurring in large quantities in the Amazon, in the Pantanal, mainly in the North region and central part of the country”.
According to him, the number of firefighters (around 256 in the Pantanal, who should receive reinforcement until reaching 300) and equipment available to fight fires “seems reasonable” for today. “But at the end of this season we will carry out even more audacious planning so that tackling climate change can rise to the challenge”, he added.
“Brazil has a big challenge, we will have to adapt Brazilian cities in general to face more recurrent floods and fires due to changes in the climate”, said Agostinho.
He said that Ibama organized an action plan for the Pantanal at the beginning of the year, but that the region – the largest floodplain in the world – is very large and very dry. The delicate situation is worsened by the heat wave that hits Brazil.
Furthermore, the areas affected by the 2020 fire wave in the biome remain degraded, which means they will continue to suffer from fires in the following years. For Agostinho, in addition to fighting the fire, recovery actions must be carried out in these areas.
“This weekend there is rain forecast in the Pantanal. We are working hard on these hot spots, but we are also looking forward to the rain”, added Agostinho.
Combating illegal deforestation
The president of Ibama stated that 73% of fire rates in the country are directly linked to deforestation.
“Pantanal also has land priced slightly below normal. We are seeing some people buy land in the Pantanal and deforest it, often illegally”, said Agostinho.
According to him, cases in which Ibama detects the possibility of criminal fire are forwarded to the police authorities and the Public Ministry.
“Ibama is very strict,” he added, citing the record of almost 18 thousand infraction notices applied by the agency in 2023.
See also: Fires hit the highway that gives access to the Pantanal in Mato Grosso
Source: CNN Brasil
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