Brazilian Pantanal records fire even before the dry season June 22,2024

This photo released by the Mato Grosso do Sul Fire Department shows firefighters struggling to control a forest fire in the Pantanal (Handout)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Brazilian Pantanal records fire even before the dry season

The Brazilian Pantanal, one of the world's largest tropical wetlands, is registering a record number of fires in June, even before the arrival of the dry season, satellite data showed on Friday.

The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) released data showing around 1,700 fires since the beginning of the month in a region teeming with one of South America's largest concentrations of wildlife.

This is more than four times the previous record for fires in June, set almost two decades ago.

"This resurgence of fires in the Pantanal even before the dry season (which usually begins in the second half of the year) is extremely worrying," Claudio Angelo, an Observatório do Clima collective member, told AFP.

The worst year ever recorded for the Pantanal, a region slightly larger than England, was 2020 when 30% of the wetlands were affected by flames.

This year, so far, is looking worse.

"Everything indicates that we are facing another extreme weather event, which makes us fear for the future of the biome in the coming months when the drought reaches its peak," said Angelo.

The Pantanal extends into Bolivia and Paraguay and is home to millions of caimans, parrots, giant otters, and the highest density of jaguars in the world.

Environment Minister Marina Silva has sounded the alarm recently about the imminent "severe" drought in various parts of the country, including the Pantanal and the Amazon rainforest.

Brazil has been hit by a series of extreme weather events, the most recent being the once-in-a-century flood in the state of Rio Grande do Sul that left more than 170 people dead.

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