The area burned in Brazil last year surpassed the index recorded in 2021. Data from the MapBiomas Fire Monitor account for 16.3 million hectares burned between January and December 2022, an area equivalent to the state of Acre. The number represents an increase of 14% compared to 2021.
Only in forests, there was a growth of 93% in relation to the previous year. Most, approximately 85%, was recorded in the Amazon rainforest, surpassing that recorded in the Cerrado, where 7.4 million hectares were burned.
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The states that recorded the most fires in 2022 were Mato Grosso, Pará and Tocantins. The Conservation Units that accounted for the most fires were Araguaia National Park, Serra Geral do Tocantins Ecological Station and Nascentes do Rio Parnaíba National Park. Only in the month of December last year there is a change, with Taim Ecological Station, Pantanal Mato-Grossense National Park and APA Serra da Ibiapaba occupying the top three places.
In relation to Indigenous Lands, the ones that suffered the most were Araguaia Indigenous Park, Raposa Serra do Sol TI and Xingu Indigenous Park. If the cut is made only for December, the leaders are IL Raposa Serra do Sol, São Marcos and Parque do Tumucumaque.
In December, fires increased by 90%
In the last month of last year alone, there was a 90% increase in the area burned compared to the same month in 2021: 332,000 hectares, i.e. 157,000 hectares more than the previous year. Of the total, 71% fires were recorded in the Amazon.
The data show that the three states with the most areas burned in December 2022 are part of the Legal Amazon: Maranhão (126 thousand hectares), Pará (98 thousand hectares) and Roraima (22 thousand hectares). Together, they correspond to 57% of the area burned in the period.
Editing: Nicolau Soares
