The flames that destroyed the Pantanal in the state of Mato Grosso over the last month have reached more than 45% of the Encontro das Águas State Park. The region concentrates the largest number of jaguars in the world, located between the municipalities of Poconé and Barão de Melgaço, south of Cuiabá.
Of the nearly 109 thousand hectares of the park created in 2004, approximately 51 thousand hectares have already been affected by the flames.
The information comes from the coordinator of the Temporary Integrated Multiagencies Committee for Operational Coordination of MT (Ciman / MT), lieutenant-colonel military firefighter Dércio Santos da Silva.
"The state goes to great lengths to contain the fires and this area specifically we place as a priority, given the great extent of the Pantanal areas. After the teams report the fires on the spot, we fly over the region, and we define a set of strategies for actions on the spot. , and resource optimization," he says.
The Fire Department says it has reinforced, since last week, actions to contain the spread of the flames inside the park. The biggest concern is controlling the fire to prevent it from advancing to the east of the park, which is the jaguars' refuge.
Last month, Fazenda São Francisco do Perigara, considered the world's largest refuge for the macaw, lost at least 70% of its approximately 25,000 hectares, almost all of which are native vegetation.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon