MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil accounted for most of the world's forest fires last year

A changing climate can hinder forests' natural recovery from fires

Brazil topped the world last year in forest fires, accounting for 42% of the global loss of primary tropical forests. The extreme heat of the year, exacerbated by climate change and El Niño, intensified fires, which destroyed more forest than agribusiness activities for the first time. The worst drought ever recorded contributed to a sixfold increase in fire-related deforestation compared to 2023.

Data from the University of Maryland's GLAD Laboratory, available on the World Resources Institute's (WRI) Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform, indicates that, for the first time, agribusiness did not emerge as the main culprit in forest casualties, as is often the case. The fires destroyed native forests to an extent that corresponds in area to the territory of Panama. In this global process, Brazil led the ranking of fires, being responsible for 40% of the loss of forests that turned to ash. This marks a drastic change from recent years, when fires accounted for an average of just 20%.

For the first time since the GFW records began, large fires have occurred in both the tropics and the boreal forests. Warming has been widespread, and so has fire. The intense fire seasons in Canada and Russia contributed to a 5% increase in the area of forest cover lost by 2024. Specifically in Brazil, two-thirds of the loss of native cover (66%) was caused by fires sparked by the worst drought ever recorded, an increase of more than six times compared to 2023.

Large-scale agriculture and livestock also contributed to forest loss, but to a lesser extent than fires. Agribusiness has swallowed up 13% of primary forests. Amazon experienced the greatest loss of tree cover since 2016, while the Pantanal stood out as the biome impacted by the greatest devastation in the country.

“Brazil made progress under the [Luiz Inácio] Lula [da Silva] administration, but the threat to forests persists,” says Mariana Oliveira, director of WRI Brasil's forests and land use program, comparing the current administration with the previous one under Jair Bolsonaro. “Without sustained investment in forest fire prevention, stricter enforcement in the states, and a focus on sustainable land use, hard-won achievements are at risk of being undone.”

Although fires are natural in some ecosystems, in tropical forests they are mostly caused by humans, often started on agricultural land or to prepare new areas for cultivation. In 2024, the hottest year on record, extreme conditions fueled by climate change and El Niño made these fires more intense and difficult to control. While forests can recover from fire, the combined pressure of land conversion and a changing climate can hinder this process and increase the likelihood of future incidents. Importantly, the loss of primary tropical forests driven by other causes also increased by 14%, the largest increase since 2016. (Source: Agencia Brasil)