The year 2023, which accumulated climate disasters and extreme temperatures, also set a record for wildfires in the Caatinga in more than a decade.
According to data from the BDQueimadas system, from the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), over 21,500 heat spots were recorded in the biome, the highest index since 2010 when there were 21,800 heat spots.
The system uses satellite images to detect fire occurrences larger than 30 m². The number represents a 39% increase from the previous year and is another factor impacted by the occurrence of El Niño, which brought more heat and less rain to the region. Caatinga is the only completely Brazilian biome, covering an area equivalent to about 10% of the national territory and encompassing the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Piauí, Sergipe, and the northern part of Minas Gerais.