Dynamics of Fire Foci in the Amazon Rainforest and Their Consequences on Environmental Degradation

Helvécio de Oliveira Filho, José Francisco de Oliveira-Júnior, Marcos Vinícius da Silva, Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim, Munawar Shah, João Paulo Assis Gobo, Claudio José Cavalcante Blanco, Luiz Claudio Gomes Pimentel, Corbiniano da Silva, Elania Barros da Silva, Thelma de Barros Machado, Carlos Rodrigues Pereira (+6 others)
2022 Sustainability  
Burns are common practices in Brazil and cause major fires, especially in the Legal Amazon. This study evaluated the dynamics of the fire foci in the Legal Amazon in Brazil and their consequences on environmental degradation, particularly in the transformation of the forest into pasture, in livestock and agriculture areas, mining activities and urbanization. The fire foci data were obtained from the reference satellites of the BDQueimadas of the CPTEC/INPE for the period June 1998–May 2022. The
more » ... data obtained were subjected to descriptive and exploratory statistical analysis, followed by a comparison with the PRODES data during 2004–2021, the DETER data (2016–2019) and the ENSO phases during the ONI index for the study area. Biophysical parameters were used in the assessment of environmental degradation. The results showed that El Niño's years of activity and the years of extreme droughts (2005, 2010 and 2015) stand out with respect to significant increase in fire foci. Moreover, the significant numbers of fire foci indices during August, September, October and November were recorded as 23.28%, 30.91%, 15.64% and 10.34%, respectively, and these were even more intensified by the El Niño episodes. Biophysical parameters maps showed the variability of the fire foci, mainly in the south and west part of the Amazon basin referring to the Arc of Deforestation. Similarly, the states of Mato Grosso, Pará and Amazonas had the highest alerts from PRODES and DETER, and in the case of DETER, primarily mining and deforestation (94.3%) increased the environmental degradation. The use of burns for agriculture and livestock, followed by mining and wood extraction, caused the degradation of the Amazon biome.
doi:10.3390/su14159419 fatcat:v5z2ewa3jndbfjhx7quyfotk2y