Environment Ministry speaks out after AM governor’s statement on fires
19 de August de 2024
Ana Cláudia Leocádio – From Cenarium
BRASILIA (DF) – The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA) has informed CENARIUM that it has not yet received a specific request for support for actions to combat fires in the state of Amazonas. In recent weeks, Manaus has been shrouded in smoke caused by fires in the region.
The demonstration took place after Governor Wilson Lima (União Brasil) announced measures to reinforce the fight against the fires in the south of the state, sending 200 student soldiers and 85 more firefighters to the area. At the time, the president demanded a commitment from the federal government, since most of the fires were occurring in indigenous areas, for which the federal government is responsible.
In the first 13 days of August, the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) recorded 8,000 hotspots in Amazonas, with the potential to turn into wildfires.
According to the MMA, since July, “21 fires have been recorded in Amazonas, of which 19 have been extinguished or are under control (each fire can bring together several hotspots)”. The ministry also said that Ibama and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) “have 144 firefighters in Amazonas and 1,621 in the Amazon”.
“The institutes operate primarily in federal areas, such as settlements, Indigenous Lands and Conservation Units. They also support the fight in other areas, where the fight is the priority responsibility of the states. So far, the MMA has not received any specific demand for support for the combat efforts carried out by the state of Amazonas”, the ministry said.
Influence of El Niño
According to the ministry, “forest fires in Brazil, and in other countries in the Amazon region, are intensified by climate change and by one of the strongest El Niños in history, which has caused prolonged droughts in various areas of the biome”. It is estimated that the rainy season in the Amazon has shortened by an average of 27 days in the last 15 years.
“Fires in the Amazon are strongly linked to deforestation and pasture clearing. With the resumption of environmental governance in the current administration, the area under deforestation alerts in the biome fell by 45.7% from August 2023 to July 2024 compared to the previous 12 months, according to data from INPE’s Deter system,” he added, without detailing what the strategies will be for the next cycle.
The MMA also maintains that it is trying to coordinate the response to fires with the state governments and representatives of the Fire Brigades of the Northern Region, including Amazonas, and that, to this end, it has made R$ 405 million available from the Amazon Fund to support the Fire Brigades in the Legal Amazon.
“In June, President [Lula] signed a pact with the governors of the Amazon and Pantanal to prevent and control fires, and set up a situation room to coordinate the federal response to fires and drought in the country,” said the MMA statement. At the time, the governments of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Amazonas, Maranhão, Tocantins, Acre, Amapá, Roraima and Rondônia joined the initiative.
Also according to the ministry, representatives of the State Environment Secretariats and Fire Departments of the Amazon states were invited to the Integrated Multi-Agency Center for National Operational Coordination (Ciman), a federal collegiate body that coordinates operational firefighting efforts in all biomes. In the Ciman, the states can present demands for federal support for fire control actions.
Fire management bill
As a final strategy for combating forest fires, the MMA cites President Lula’s sanctioning of the Bill (PL) that regulates integrated fire management in the country to prevent and combat forest fires.
Among the law’s provisions is a ban on using fire as a method of removing native vegetation for alternative land use, except when there is controlled burning of vegetation residues.
“For agricultural practices, the use of fire will only be permitted in specific situations, and landowners can be held responsible in the event of fires. The initiative recognizes the ecological role of fire in ecosystems and respects the traditional knowledge and practices of fire use by indigenous, quilombola and other traditional communities,” the legislation highlights.
The MMA said that the legislation establishes the National Fire Information System (Sisfogo), which will manage information on forest fires, controlled and prescribed burnings in the country.