Survey identifies new deforested areas in Amazon
SAO PAULO. KAZINFORM - A continuous growth of forest fires has been reported in Boca do Acre, in Amazonas state, northern Brazil. The burned area went from 66 percent in 2012—the year in which the new Forest Code was approved—to 88 percent in 2019, per natural disaster monitoring center Cemaden, in partnership with national and international institutions. The study was published this week in journal Fire, Agencia Brasil reports.
The research looks into satellite data on burned areas between 2003 and 2019 near a new deforestation frontier in southwestern Amazonas. After cross-referencing the data, scientists examined figures on climate, soil coverage, rural properties, and protected zones.
Liana Anderson, one of the researchers who authored the study, said the goal was to provide a comprehensive appraisal of the dimensions and patterns of burned areas, ascertaining what, where, and how much has changed. Over the time span surveyed, the locations affected by fire in one year grew at least 33 km² and peaked at 681 km² in 2019.
«The project aims to evaluate the forecasts on the relationship between selective logging and forest fires for 2030, 2050, in a bid to cast light on the ways scientific data can support territorial planning and public policies for forest services, conservation, and sustainable development there,» she noted.
The article is the first to focus on the southwest of Amazonas, the specialist pointed out, and seeks to diagnose wildfires and their link to climatic variables, like temperature and rainfall, in addition to how these processes occur in territories regulated by different legislation—rural properties and protected zones, like conservation units and indigenous lands.
Anderson pointed out that the first interesting result is the high occurrence of small burning areas in forests as well as farming and pasture lands. «We’re aware of fire used to manage these locations, but it often spreads to forests, resulting in wildfires. The extent of these burned areas doubled or tripled in size in 2004–2005, 2009–2010, and 2015–2016. These are periods when the region was particularly vulnerable to wildfires, as it was affected by extreme droughts,» she pointed out.
However, she went on to note, not only forests are impacted by severe droughts. «This pattern, with droughts in the Amazon, has impacted productive areas. In addition to the effects on ecosystem services, rural producers have also sustained losses.»
Indigenous land
«We also observed fire occurring more often in places close to the Apurinã and Boca do Acre indigenous lands, inside rural properties, which leads us to conclude that the presence of such rural properties on the border with protected territories ends up influencing deforestation,» Anderson said.
Also according to the researcher, the study observed the existence of a large number of rural properties in areas not yet designated and within public forests. Alarming, in her view, is the expansion in the area burned between 2003 and 2019 there. This indicates that public and unregulated areas are already suffering degradation.
«The takeaway here is the urgent need to evaluate and regulate these locations, aiming to bring legal security for activities that may be carried out there and protect a treasure that belongs to all Brazilians,» she went on to state.
Finally, she remarked, the outlook for the coming years is a sharp increase in local fires due to the rising deforestation and land grabbing.
Photo: agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br