In 38 years, Brazil burned an area the size of Colombia and Chile

Over the course of 38 years, Brazil burned 185.7 million hectares—an area the size of Colombia and Chile combined, or 21.8 percent of the national territory. The figures come from MapBiomas, which measured the region consumed by flames between 1985 and 2022 through satellite images.

“This time series of fire data allows us to understand the effect of climate and human action on burnings and forest fires,” says Ane Alencar, coordinator of MapBiomas Fogo and science director at Amazon research institute IPAM.

Using images generated by three Landsat satellites, the specialists tracked the action of fire in all types of land use across the Brazilian territory. The cerrado and the Amazon proved to be the biomes most affected, with 86 percent of the burned area.

The cerrado burned an average of 7.9 million hectares a year—an area the size of Scotland. In the Amazon, the average stood at a yearly 6.8 million hectares. When the proportions of the affected areas within each biome are considered, the pantanal was the most severely hit: 51 percent of its territory came under fire in that time frame.

Coverage affected by fire

According to the data, over two thirds (68.9%) of the burnings and wildfires occurred in native vegetation, although the rates vary from biome to biome. Fields and savannas, for example, are the most impacted types of native vegetation, while the Amazon and Atlantic Forest had a higher incidence of fire in areas altered by people, like pastures.

“Fire is only bad when used inappropriately and in biomes that do not depend on fire to maintain themselves, like the Amazon. In biomes like the cerrado, the pantanal, and the pampas, fire plays an ecological role and must be managed in order not to become an agent of destruction,” Alencar said.

Frequency and intensity

Even though fires are natural in some biomes, their frequency and intensity have increased in recent years as a result of deforestation and climate change, as they change temperatures and make drought periods less forgiving.

“This is why integrated fire management is key. Through prescribed and controlled burning, it can slash the amount of combustible material and avoid large fires,” she noted.

The complete data can be accessed for free on the MapBiomas website. The association brings together universities, NGOs, and technology companies.