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Wildfire Incidence throughout the Brazilian Pantanal Is Driven by Local Climate Rather Than Bovine Stocking Density

Author

Listed:
  • Paulo Eduardo Teodoro

    (Department of Agronomy, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Chapadão do Sul 79560-000, MS, Brazil)

  • Luciano de Souza Maria

    (Department of Agronomy, State University of São Paulo (UNESP), Jaboticabal 14884-900, SP, Brazil)

  • Jéssica Marciella Almeida Rodrigues

    (Department of Biology, State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Alta Floresta 78580-000, MT, Brazil)

  • Adriana de Avila e Silva

    (Department of Biology, State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Alta Floresta 78580-000, MT, Brazil)

  • Maiara Cristina Metzdorf da Silva

    (Department of Biology, State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Alta Floresta 78580-000, MT, Brazil)

  • Samara Santos de Souza

    (Department of Biology, State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Alta Floresta 78580-000, MT, Brazil)

  • Fernando Saragosa Rossi

    (Department of Agronomy, State University of São Paulo (UNESP), Jaboticabal 14884-900, SP, Brazil)

  • Larissa Pereira Ribeiro Teodoro

    (Department of Agronomy, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Chapadão do Sul 79560-000, MS, Brazil)

  • João Lucas Della-Silva

    (Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia da Amazônia Legal (BIONORTE), State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Sinop 78555-000, MT, Brazil)

  • Rafael Coll Delgado

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, Forest Institute, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica 23897-000, RJ, Brazil)

  • Mendelson Lima

    (Department of Biology, State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Alta Floresta 78580-000, MT, Brazil)

  • Carlos A. Peres

    (School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK)

  • Carlos Antonio da Silva Junior

    (Department of Geography, State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Sinop 78555-000, MT, Brazil)

Abstract

The Pantanal is the world’s largest and most biodiverse continental sheet-flow wetland. Recently, vast tracts of the Pantanal have succumbed to the occurrence of fires, raising serious concerns over the future integrity of the biodiversity and ecosystem services of this biome, including revenues from ecotourism. These wildfires degrade the baseline of natural ecosystems and the ecotourism economy across the region. Local residents (“Pantaneiros”) anecdotally state that extensive cattle herbivory can solve the contemporary flammability problem of the Pantanal by controlling vegetation biomass, thereby preventing or reducing both fuel loads and fires across the region. Here, we examine the covariation between the presence and density of cattle and the incidence of fires across the Brazilian Pantanal. Variables assessed included bovine cattle density, SPI (Standardized Precipitation Index), GPP (Gross Primary Productivity)/biomass estimate, and fire foci along a 19-year time series (2001 to 2019). Our findings show that fire foci across the Pantanal biome are related to climatic variables, such as lower annual precipitation and higher annual drought indices (SPI) rather than to cattle stocking rates. Therefore, the notion of “cattle firefighting”, a popular concept often discussed in some academic circles, cannot be validated because cattle numbers are unrelated to aboveground phytomass. Gross primary productivity further invalidated the “cattle herbivory” hypothesis because GPP was found to be strongly correlated with cattle density but not with the spatial distribution of fires. Fires throughout the Pantanal are currently aggravated by the presence of livestock and result from a combination of extreme weather events and outdated agricultural practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Paulo Eduardo Teodoro & Luciano de Souza Maria & Jéssica Marciella Almeida Rodrigues & Adriana de Avila e Silva & Maiara Cristina Metzdorf da Silva & Samara Santos de Souza & Fernando Saragosa Rossi &, 2022. "Wildfire Incidence throughout the Brazilian Pantanal Is Driven by Local Climate Rather Than Bovine Stocking Density," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-16, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:16:p:10187-:d:889890
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    References listed on IDEAS

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