Wildfires in Brazilian Biomes: Environmental Impacts, Policy Challenges, and Future Directions

Abstract

Wildfires play a central role in shaping the landscapes and ecosystems in Brazil by considerably affecting biogeochemical cycles, soil properties, and vegetation dynamics. In this study, the pyrogeography of Brazilian biomes, wildfire occurrences from 1999 to 2024, the primary environmental consequences of fires in each biome, and key challenges related to fire policy in Brazil are elucidated. The analysis of public data from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has revealed that 80% of fires occur in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes due to the expansion of agricultural frontiers, mainly during dry winter and spring seasons. Their effects of such fires on ecosystems vary with vegetation type, topography, and burn severity, influencing soil properties, hydrological processes, carbon stocks, and erosion. Fire policies in Brazil have structural and institutional limitations such as a limited state presence in remote areas and resource shortages. The implementation of Integrated Fire Management (IFM) in protected areas incorporates prescribed burning and traditional knowledge based on ecological monitoring; however, these efforts remain fragmented and lack national integration. The future of fire management in Brazil focuses on coordinating science, public policy, and local engagement; expanding remote sensing; supporting local brigades; and promoting strategies tailored to the ecological and cultural conditions of different regions. To address the complex dynamics of illegal fires driven by agricultural expansion and apply controlled ecologically oriented burns for conservation, technically informed solutions, social participation, and public action grounded in territorial realities are essential.

Keywords

pyrogeography / tropical landscape / prescribed fire / fire policy / integrated fire management

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