Led by drought and human action, fires in the Brazilian Savannah increase 117% in 2024; farms lead burnt areas

Brasil de Fato

From January to September 2024, fires in Brazil consumed 8.4 million hectares of the Cerrado [Brazilian Savannah], an area equivalent to the size of Austria. This represents an increase of 117% compared to the same period last year.

The territories most affected were farms, with 3.9 million hectares set on fire—almost half of the total for the period. Indigenous Lands were the second most affected area, with 2.8 million hectares set on fire. Military areas, conservation units, and undesignated public lands also increased.

Protected lands in Brazil called quilombos and settlements were the only territories with a reduction in the area burned compared to the average area of previous years. The Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM, in Portuguese) released the information on Tuesday (15).

“The drought in the Cerrado has boosted the expansion of the burnt area in almost all land categories. To tackle this scenario, we need to strengthen the National Integrated Fire Management Policy, changing agricultural practices and encouraging the controlled use of fire,” says Ane Alencar, IPAM’s Science Director.

Regarding the vegetation type, the Savannah formation, typical of the Cerrado, was the most affected by the fire. The flooded fields, which are wetlands at certain times of the year, came in second place, and the areas used for farming came in third place.

Agricultural frontier

At Matopiba, a region that covers part of the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia, located in the north and northern parts of the country, the increase in the burned area was 58% compared to 2023. This area is an agricultural frontier, where pastures and monoculture crops, mainly soy, are advancing.

In a technical report issued by IPAM, experts explain that fire is part of the natural cycle of the Brazilian Savannah, common in the transition between rainy and dry seasons. In this case, lightning causes the fires.

However, human action has modified the natural fire pattern, resulting in increasingly frequent and intense fires, especially during critical periods of drought, according to the report.

The statement also says that the use of fire for agricultural activities, such as preparing the soil for soybean cultivation and pasture management, is among the factors contributing to the increase of burnt areas during the drought.