South America's Pantanal Wetlands face devastating fires due to severe drought

The Pantanal Plain stretches across the northeastern area of Paraguay, eastern Bolivia, and central-western Brazil, making it the largest wetland in the world. It has an extraordinary diversity of plants and animals, including up to five thousand species, many of which are endangered.

This situation raises serious concerns about further losses for this unique ecosystem.

Pantanal is known as the largest wetland area in the world, and now it is a desert with fire everywhere.

It's hard to breathe. It's hard for newborn children. The heat gets stronger and stronger," declared Amilton Brandao, a resident and guide, to the Reuters agency. "The Pantanal is already hot and it gets hotter, drier, with smoke, the weather gets very bad."

The Brazilian National Institute for Space Research warns that the number of fires in the Pantanal has increased dramatically—almost tenfold by the beginning of June this year compared to last year. According to the Reuters agency, the largest fires in this region mainly occurred in August and September.

Now, their earlier occurrence may have catastrophic consequences for this exceptional ecosystem. Increased fires threaten the unique biodiversity of the Pantanal, and the ecosystem's ability to regenerate may be severely weakened. The Pantanal wetlands are home to many animals, including jaguars, anacondas, and giant anteaters.

The main cause of the fires is a deficit in total rainfall during the last rainy season, which was as much as 60% lower than the historical average. This shortage significantly affects soil and vegetation moisture, making areas more prone to catching fire and spreading quickly.

The shortage of rain this year has caused the fire season to start earlier and become more intense. Fires in 2020 affected one-third of the wetlands and killed 17 million vertebrates.