Number of fire outbreaks in MS increases 261% compared to last year – Environment

The number of fires in Mato Grosso do Sul increased almost three times in the period from January to April this year compared to last year. According to data from the Queimadas program, from Inpe (National Institute for Space Research), 917 outbreaks have been found in Mato Grosso do Sul so far.

The state is in fifth place in the national ranking of outbreaks registered in 2024. Check out the table below.

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Compared to the same period last year, the State recorded an increase of 261.25%. In 2023, from January to April, 351 fires were confirmed in Mato Grosso do Sul. Last year ended with a total of 4,529 fires detected by the institute’s satellite.

The numbers are just not worse than the year 2020, when there was the tragedy of the fires in the Pantanal. In that same period, 1,671 outbreaks had already been recorded. The fire burned more than 30% of the biome’s territory, in the Brazilian portion, the equivalent of 44,998 square kilometers.

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Prevention – Due to the excess of organic matter accumulated in the soil and with rainfall below the State’s lowest historical average, which is from 1964, several preventive measures are being taken to avoid a new environmental disaster this year marked by the increase in the Planet’s temperature due to of the El Niño phenomenon and climate change.

In the Pantanal, work aimed at mapping access points and facilitating the movement of soldiers – in the event of fires – began this month. One of the areas of activity is maintenance, repairs and cleaning around bridges on access roads to farms and areas where fire normally causes damage.

13 operational bases were also installed for Fire Department teams in the biome. The State also signed a cooperation agreement with Mato Grosso to act in an integrated manner to prevent fires.

Among the main actions are the standardization and compatibility of legislation on the use of natural resources in the Pantanal in both states, preparation of the Integrated Plan for prevention, preparation, response and accountability for forest fires for the Pantanal biome and monitoring of wildlife.

Another front of action in Mato Grosso do Sul was the publication – on April 10th – of the environmental emergency decree, focusing on the Pantanal biome, which establishes criteria for forest fire prevention work, including firebreaks on borders and the use of the prescribed burning figure.

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