In 13 days of November, the Pantanal recorded 2,387 wildfires. Most of them are concentrated in Mato Grosso, where the fires are affecting private reserves, state and federal preservation areas, farms, and indigenous land.
In the biome, at least 852,000 hectares have been consumed by the fires, and with the heatwave affecting the country, with temperatures above 40°C, the situation is expected to worsen.
According to data from INPE (National Institute for Space Research), Mato Grosso has 1,642 wildfires, and Mato Grosso do Sul has 745, all in the Pantanal. Last year, at the same time, there were only 57 points in the biome in the two states.
The president of the SOS Pantanal NGO, Alexandre Bossi, recalls that in 2022, the Pantanal was already flooded in November due to rains in September and October, and that made a difference in the detected fires. "This year is frighteningly dry," he said.