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  Major dry-season conflagrations drive further loss of Amazon rainforest Wed 28 Aug 2019
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 Satellite imagery from all sources of all fires burning during the six hours to 04.00 EST today. Since the start of 2019, NASA's AQUA satellite has identified 179,471 fires across South America, with the most affected countries being Brazil 83,329, Venezuela 26,569, Bolivia 19,111, Colombia 14,336, Argentina 14,280, Paraguay 10,723 and Peru 6,400. The majority of these fires are in the Amazon basin. INPE |
The Amazon dry season from August to November has long been the time when spent crops or freshly felled clearances have been burnt off. This year's burning has seen a major increase in numbers of fires compared with recent years, especially in the Amazonas and Rodonia States in W and SW Brazil and in Bolivia. Parts of the Amazon rainforest in Venezuela, Colombia and Peru are also affected.
Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) data shows more than 75,000 active fires in the country, 84% up on the 2018 figures for the same period according to the BBC. NASA reported that fire detections by its Aqua satellite were the highest since 2010 to this time of year with indications 2019 may be a record for Amazon fires [space.com].
2010 was a year of El Niño-induced severe drought in Brazil, and IPNE figures*† (scroll down to Country Annual Comparative Table and select the Every Year tab) show that in 2010 127,147 fires had been detected in the year to 27 August compared with 83,329 for the same period this year. Drought conditions are not a factor this year which has seen a very mild start to the dry season.
In the era of satellite fire detection since 1998, the only other years of greater fire numbers, again for the 1 January to 27 August period, were 2002 to 2007 when massive deforestation took place. Since then many factors have reduced deforestation including the creation of public lands [Wikipedia]. However, scientists in Brazil are arguing that deforestation is again increasing due to the pro-development policies of the government of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro [ScienceMag]. There is certainly no doubt that this highly visible spike in wildfires has focussed the wrath of Western media and politics in particular and gained world-wide condemnation from environmental groups.
Escalating deforestation of the Amazon basin from logging, burning and clearing has been an issue of international concern for many years, since the Amazon rainforest is both a major source of oxygen production and a carbon sink as well as home to indigenous communities. In his weekly address last Sunday 25th, Pope Frances told thousands in St Peter's Square "We are all worried about the vast fires that have developed in the Amazon. Let us pray so that with the commitment of all, they can be put out soon. That lung of forests is vital for our planet” [Reuters]. That would have resonated in Brazil, the world's largest Catholic country.
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