Salvador (Brazil) (AFP)
The dramatic rise in the number of fires in the Brazilian Amazon is primarily caused by the increase in deforestation, says Paulo Moutinho, a researcher at the Institute for Environmental Research on the Amazon (IPAM).
The researcher challenges the argument of the government of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who argues that this increase in the number of fires is due to drought, which is usual at this time of the year.
Question: Brazilian Minister of the Environment Ricardo Salles said that the increase in fires in Amazonia was due to "dry weather, wind and heat". What is it?
Answer: "Deforestation accounts for the majority of fires, historically they are linked to the advance of deforestation, combined with periods of intense dry season, but in 2019 we do not have as severe a drought as in previous years There is a substantial increase in fires, so everything indicates that the dry season is not at all the predominant factor: if there had been more drought, it would have been much worse. "
Q: What causes these fires?
A: "Fires have always been human, fire is used to clear already deforested areas, open trails or prepare land for cultivation.Lack of prevention means that fires spread to more dry, which was not meant to be burnt, and very often the rain extinguishes it or they end up meeting denser, wetter vegetation barriers and self-extinguishing. "
Q: How long does it take to recover these areas?
A: "In the Amazon, the flames act at ground level, but this is enough to cause the death of very large trees, up to two years after the fire.The dead trees lose their leaves, this leads to greater penetration in the forest, the vegetation becomes more flammable and if there are no new fires, it will take several decades to reach the same density (vegetation) .In some areas, the devastated areas are invaded by other species typical of drier areas, such as those of Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah). "
Q: What are the consequences of these fires?
A: "First of all, there is a loss of biodiversity and the function of the forest, that of providing clouds to the atmosphere to produce the rain." In addition, the fumes over the Amazonian cities have serious consequences. consequences on health, causes serious respiratory problems and this translates into economic damage ".
Q: Does President Jair Bolsonaro's policy encourage fires?
A: "I do not have any data to answer that (...) I can say that the problem is very serious and that the government should immediately launch a campaign to control and prevent deforestation. The illegal occupation of public lands means theft for all Brazilians, and in most cases deforestation allows speculation by reselling the land later. "
Q: How much is estimated deforestation in the Amazon today?
A: "The area of the Amazon Basin (in Brazil and in other countries) that has been deforested is equivalent to the surface of the French territory.This represents about 20%, there are still 80%. to avoid a functional collapse of the forest, but the solution must be rapid, it must also be taken into account that the degradation of the forest does not come only from deforestation, there are also the effects of climate change, phenomena more frequent such as + El Niño +, which bring a lot of drought in the Amazon ".
© 2019 AFP