21/12/2023
A super El Niño and illegal cattle ranching have combined to cause unprecedented fires across the Brazilian Amazon.
One of the longest droughts ever recorded, along with heavy deforestation and degradation from 2019-2022, have created unusually dry conditions that make fires burn faster and hotter. Fires in the Amazon rainforest are not natural—almost all have been set illegally by cattle ranchers to clear land for livestock. The intense drought conditions and fires have threatened wildlife and the ecosystem, in addition to the livelihoods, health, and future of Indigenous territories.
To better combat these fires, the Brazilian government has increased brigades of firefighters, troops and volunteers, who have been working night and day to monitor fires and control conditions. Their tireless work has helped to protect hundreds of thousands of Indigenous peoples and local communities facing crisis. Re:wild, alongside the Protecting Our Planet Challenge partners (including Bezos Earth Fund, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Bobolink Foundation) assisted these efforts by providing support to help improve and expand the detection and prediction systems for fire outbreaks and deforestation.
Photo credit: Banksiafilms & Marcos Amend - Taken September 26, 2023 in Borba, Amazonas
