Unprecedented Fires Ravage Brazil's Pantanal Wetlands

The world's largest tropical wetlands face severe damage as fires, fueled by unusually dry and hot weather, destroy vast areas and threaten wildlife, including the region's abundant jaguars.

In the first two weeks of November, fires fueled by unusually dry and hot weather destroyed nearly 770,000 hectares (1.9 million acres) of the world’s largest tropical wetlands, accounting for 65% of the damage done by fires in the region this year.
Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research detected 3,380 fires in the Pantanal in the first 17 days of November, compared to just 69 in the same period a year ago, and well beyond previous fire season records dating back to 1998.
The Pantanal holds thousands of plant and animal species, including 159 mammals, and it abounds with jaguars. Much of the Encontro das Aguas (Meeting of the Waters) park, known for its large jaguar population, had turned from emerald green to dark brown.
Firefighters, troops and volunteers are working night and day to try and stop the fires, which are threatening not only the region’s rich fauna and flora but also houses and touristic guesthouses.
The state of Mato Grosso do Sul launched on Nov. 14 a joint task force, mobilizing the state’s entire fleet of aircraft to help firefighters, either dropping water on fires or flying out firefighters to the region’s most remote locations. It also declared a state of emergency in four municipalities most affected by forest fires and where parks and protected areas were particularly at risk.