thesefireslikelygotoutofcontrolthis
yearandscorchednearbyforest.Many
environmentalistsarguethatfarmersalso
intentionallyburnneighbouringforest
tomakewayformoreagriculturalland.
Inwhatbecomesa viciouscircle,felling
treeschangesthemicroclimateofthearea,
makingthelandhotteranddrier,somore
vulnerabletoburninginfuture.
Everydryseason,firesareusedtoclear
plantdebrisintheAmazon.Butwithan
80 percentincreaseinthenumberoffires
comparedwith2018,thisyearwasdifferent.
Whatcausedthisspike?
Politicsofdestruction
On1 January2019,JairBolsonarobecame
the38thpresidentofBrazil.Withbold
visionsofincreasingeconomicdevelopment
inthecountry,heviewedtheAmazon
asa cashcowtobeexploited.According
toAuricéliaArapium,anindigenous
leaderfromParáStateinBrazil,“Boththe
environmentandindigenouspeopleshave
beencalled‘barrierstodevelopment’bythe
currentgovernment.”
Sincetakingoffice,thepresidenthas
systematicallycutfundingforthecountry’s
wildlifeconservationworkandweakened
itsenvironmentallegislationwhilesacking
staffthatworkinenvironmentdepartments.
“Whatchangedthisyearwasthepublic
discourseofthepresidentdefendingland
grabbersandalltypesofcriminalswhofelt
freetocommitcrimes,”reflectsReis.
Numerousindigenouscommunitieslive
withintheAmazonandmanyconcurthat
theburninghasbeencausedbycommercial
farmersspurredonbyBrazil’spresident.
FlorêncioAlmeidaVazFilhooftheMaytapu
indigenouspeopleinBrazilexplainsthat“It
is notthepoorpeasantswhoburntheforest.
It is becauseoftherichownersofcattle
farmsandsoymonocultures.Andtheyact
withoutfearandarestimulatedbythewords
ofPresidentBolsonaro.”
Blamegame
It is nocoincidencethatthisyearhasseen
a riseinbothdeforestationandinfires.
TheAmazonEnvironmentalInstituteof
Researchcalculatedthatthesiteswith
themostfireswerethesameplacesthat
sufferedthemostdeforestation.
Ina strangeresponsetotheecological
disaster,Bolsonaroblamedlocal
environmentalorganisationsforstarting
Top:rampantland
clearancehasbeen
linkedtothefires.
Above:indigenous
peopleprotestin Rio
deJaneiro.Right:
Brazil’sPresident
Bolsonaro.
Itisnocoincidencethat
thisyearhasseenarise
inbothdeforestation
andinfires.
FACTFILE
BRAZILIAN
AMAZON
QTwo-thirdsofthe
AmazonisinBrazil.
QOver60%ofthe
BrazilianAmazonthat
hasbeencutdownis
usedforpasture.
QOver5.9million
hectaresofthe
BrazilianAmazonwas
burntin2019.
34 BBC Wildlife December 2019
NEWS FEATURE