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Wildfires and drought threaten the survival of Indigenous Peoples of South America

2024

Historic drought and record-breaking wildfires in the region.

Fire is consuming South America.

Wildfires are ravaging the Amazon, Gran Chaco, Brazilian Cerrado and other vital ecosystems for the world including the world’s largest wetland, the Pantanal. Thai season’s wildfires coincide with the deepest historic drought in 121 years, leading to CO2 emissions reaching alarming levels and altering regional rainfall patterns.

The extreme drought in the Brazilian Amazon has severely impacted communities and ecosystems. More than 300,000 homes, schools and health units suffer the lack of water and food, while Indigenous territories face extreme vulnerability to climate change.

2024

2,445,540

hotspots were recorded across just 10 countries in the region

(data taken from the NASA's Fire Information For Resource Management)
(data taken from the NASA's Fire Information For Resource Management)

Wildfires, exacerbated by drought, have increased by

80% in Brazil

ravaging millions of hectares and causing alarming air pollution in main cities.

Paraguay El Chaco

Indigenous Peoples as inhabitants and protectors of forests, are threatened by the fires, smoke clouds, and drought, losing hectares of their home every second. Indigenous communities in Isolation are particularly affected by water scarcity and the loss of resources, placing them in a state of extreme vulnerability that threatens their survival.

As of September 18 4,544,000 (data from the Regional Amazon Observatory)
fires occurred in Indigenous territories (data from the Regional Amazon Observatory)

The Amazon, The Gran Chaco, and the Brazilian Cerrado are succumbing to fires and drought

Wildfires and droughts sweeping across South America are not only an environmental tragedy but also constitute a profound humanitarian and climate crisis affecting all the region's inhabitants. No one escapes the consequences, from Indigenous Peoples being displaced and threatened by fire and drought to city dwellers suffering from water and energy shortages and air pollution. Only in Gran Chaco alone, the smoke cloud from the wildfires in Bolivia and Paraguay was so large that it was captured by monitoring satellites.

Copernicus Sentinel

There are activities that deplete forests and resources, from behind this devastation. Uncontrolled deforestation, the expansion of large-scale cattle farming, relentless monoculture crops, and excessive resource extraction are the true drivers of this disaster.

It's time to demand change and put a stop to extractivism!

Wildfires

Wildfires: The Earth cries out, Indigenous Peoples resist.

Indigenous Peoples are the guardians of the forests

Their voices are key to understanding and addressing the wildfire crisis in South America. Their knowledge is vital for conserving ecosystems and creating a sustainable future that coexists with nature.

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