In the Pantanal – the most extensive wetlands in the world with an area of 200,000 square kilometers, extending mainly in the basin of the same name in Brazil, in neighboring countries – Bolivia and Paraguay, right in the center of South America – since the beginning of June 23 of this year, 3,262 fires have been recorded.
This is the highest number in the history of records that began in 1998 and will be 22 times higher than the same period in 2023. The previous record was from 2020, when 2,354 fires were reported in the Pantanal from January to June.
In a report published on Tuesday, the Brazilian National Institute for Spatial Research (INPE) points out that the Pantanal is now burning more frequently under the influence of climate change, which is accelerating further climate change in Brazil and neighboring countries. . Fires also start much earlier than in previous decades.
The annual drought in this part of South America begins only in August and lasts until October. Only then, due to the El Nino phenomenon, fires appeared in the Amazon forests.
Covering 2.2 million hectares, the Pantanal is home to thousands of rare and increasingly endangered animal species (including caimans and capybaras) and 180 species of migratory birds.
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