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In the Legal Amazon, by driving deforestation and fires, highways have been increasing the vulnerability of Indigenous Lands (ILs) and directly threatening the future of the biome. This is what the technical note Fires on Indigenous Lands, launched this Thursday (31/10) by Socioenvironmental Institute (ISA).  

From January to September 2024, 8 million hectares of burned areas and 58,7 thousand hotspots were identified around roads in the Legal Amazon. More than 30% of all hotspots occurred around the Cuiabá-Santarém (BR-163), Transamazônica (BR-230) and Manaus-Porto Velho (BR-319) highways.  

The document analyzed the history of fires in Indigenous Lands; the general panorama of fires in these areas in 2024; the impact of highways on the incidence of fire outbreaks; the actions of brigades in Indigenous Lands; the interference of climatic phenomena such as El Niño e La niña in the fires; and the impact of climate change on the fires. In addition, the technical note provides answers to questions on the topic and a compilation of the main publications in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU) and in the press. The analysis crosses data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and several other databases.

'The day that never ended'

BR-163 was marked by the “Day of Fire”, between August 10 and 11, 2019, when groups orchestrated fires in several areas around it in southwest Pará. 

This is “a day that never ends,” according to an analysis of the technical note. Since then, more and more fires have been recorded around BR-163. By September 2024, more than 8 fires had been recorded, an increase of 180% compared to 2023. In total, 1 million hectares around the highway have already been devastated.

The region around BR-319 accounted for only 6% of the hotspots on highways in the Amazon during the same period. This scenario, however, could change with the government's plans to complete the paving of the highway. According to data cited by the study, 57% of illegal logging in Amazonas in 2022-2023 occurred in areas influenced by the highway.

The presence of highways near indigenous territories also increases the vulnerability of these territories, the analysis shows. For example, IT Utiariti (MT), is close to BR-364 and was one of the most impacted, with 66% of the hot spots located within the area of ​​influence of the road. 

The paving of these roads creates new branches and roads, which increase deforestation. TIs such as Araguaia (TO), Pimentel Barbosa e Sands (MT), also close to roads, are among the ten most affected, showing how these areas are under increasing pressure.

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Every year more 'Fire Day'

According to the note, 2024 is on track to be one of the worst years for fires in history. Up until September, 172,8 thousand fires were registered in Brazil. This means that, in nine months, the country registered a value equivalent to 90% of the total for 2023, with an average monthly increase of 33% compared to the last five years. 

The analysis also highlights that most of the fires occurred on private rural properties: 56,6% of the hotspots mapped up until September occurred in areas with a Rural Environmental Registry (CAR).

The technical note also reinforces the direct relationship between deforestation and fires, with 10 municipalities that are champions in the destruction of native vegetation leading the ranking of fires, with São Félix do Xingu (PA), Altamira (PA) and Corumbá (MS) in the lead. 

Altamira, which tops the ranking of deforestation in the Legal Amazon, recorded 31,7 thousand hectares of forest felled in 2023, representing 3,5% of the total in the region. In 2024, 4,6 thousand outbreaks were recorded in the municipality.

São Félix do Xingu, the second most deforested municipality in the same region, had 31,4 thousand hectares of forest deforested in 2023 and 5,6 thousand hotspots until September 2024, the highest number recorded in any municipality in Brazil.

Corumbá was the most deforested municipality in the Pantanal. The municipality concentrated more than half (52,8%) of all deforestation in the biome and accumulated 4,6 thousand hotspots until September 2024. 

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Impacts on Indigenous Lands 

As of September this year, 22,1 thousand hotspots were recorded in indigenous territories throughout the country, which is equivalent to 12,8% of the total records. Kayapo IT (PA) appears with the largest number of outbreaks in the period (2,4 thousand), representing 11,1% of the total outbreaks in ITs in Brazil. The Araguaia Indigenous Park (TO) comes next, with 1,7 thousand outbreaks and 7,8% of the total. Third place goes to Kadiwéu IT (MS), with 1,4 thousand outbreaks, 6,5% of the total. 

From January to February, records of hot spots were recorded in ITs. In February, there was a 322% increase in hot spots in these areas, driven by Yanomami IT (RR-AM), compared to the same period in 2023. Both in this territory and in Raposa Serra do Sol IT (RR) there were significant increases in hotspots due to the extreme drought associated with El Niño. 

In the Xingu Indigenous Territory (TIX), in Mato Grosso, fires often spread from nearby private properties, where the use of invasive, highly flammable grasses increases the vulnerability of the forest and the risk of uncontrolled fires. This grass reaches the IT on tractors and machinery used to clear highways.

The lack of control over the borders of indigenous territories, especially in transition zones between forests and agricultural areas, creates a "domino effect", where fires burn deforested areas and spread to preserved areas. This is worse in territories such as Xingu, where pressure from illegal activities is constant.

The technical note details concerns about burning native vegetation. Up until the period analyzed, this type of vegetation accounted for 32,6% of what was burned in Indigenous Lands, implying the degradation of understory areas and a risk to the existence of the forests themselves. 

Although the burned areas associated with deforestation in Indigenous Lands represent only 6% of the total, in June 2024 the increase in fires was 70%, compared to the historical average for this same month in Indigenous Lands. This is aggravated by the combination of factors that, added to climate change, create a destructive cycle where deforested and drier areas are more prone to fires, making it easier for fires to spread to preserved areas.

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“Forests of the future” under threat

The technical note also states that changes in climate and temperature patterns are increasing the risk of fires and intensifying fires in the Amazon rainforest, which would naturally be more resistant to fires due to the tropical climate. Furthermore, according to the analysis, fires change the cycles of essential functions for maintaining the ecosystem and mitigating climate impacts. 

As a result, fires are increasing in the so-called understory, the vegetation below the tops of large trees. Formed by seedlings and plants still growing, it is very important for the maintenance of the forest over time.  

"Understory fires (vegetation below the tops of large trees) represent 26% of the area burned in the Amazon biome in 2024: these are the forests of the future burning. These fires affect the forests' ability to recycle water, renew soil, and store carbon, functions essential for the health of the ecosystem and for mitigating climate impacts," says the document. 

Another highlight was the impact of climate change on the traditional management of fire by indigenous communities. The study shows that even sustainable practices of controlled use of fire for agriculture and hunting are at risk, since with the increase in drought and heat, the good use of the element is giving way to "wild fire", which brings with it great potential for destruction.

In areas like TIX, communities report that natural signals, such as the song of cicadas and the stars, are no longer reliable for predicting the weather, highlighting the loss of environmental balance. 

Indigenous people on the front line against fires

Another point raised in the study is the role of indigenous firefighters. The federal government has been investing in hiring temporary firefighters, mostly indigenous, through the National Forest Fire Prevention and Combat System (Prevfogo). 

The strategy aims to use traditional indigenous knowledge in fire management. According to the president of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), Rodrigo Agostinho, Funai currently has around a thousand indigenous firefighters operating in ITs, based on an agreement signed between the two authorities and renewed this year.