About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (January 5, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/goveaqg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 1 ft Service nto m~r~ th kgi 1w ~t ~ rn 014 Updated January 5, 2021 Fire and Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon Fires in the Brazilian Amazon forest have received widespread media attention in recent years and have raised congressional concern. This is due to an increase in fire events and deforestation rates in the region compared with most years in the past decade, as well as to statements made by Brazilian PresidentJairBolsonaro indicatinghis intent to pursuedevelopment in the region. In particular, much attention was given to the fires in late 2019, when the observed number of fire hotspots was higher than in sixof the previous nine years. The 2020 fire season appears to have continued along this trend; the numbers of observed hotspots in September and October 2020 were higher than during the same months in 2019. Deforestationrates in the region continue to rise, and 2020 s aw the highest rates since 2008. See Figure 1 for locations of deforested areas. Figure I. Map of the Brazilian Amazon Intact forest Deforested area in 2020 - Amazon River and Tributanes Source: CRS, using compiled satellite data provided bythe Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), December2020. Notes: The LegalBrazilian Amazon is a defined area under Brazilian lawthat comprises nine statesthat contain theAmazon forest. The fate of the Amazon forestis a concern for many stakeholders, including some Members of Congress, because ofthe forest's biodiversity, role in the global carbon cycle, and effect on regional climate. The Amazon forest extends through several countries in South America, including Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia, with approximately 62% of the Amazon located in Brazil. It comprises approximately 40% of all remaining tropicalrainforests and is estimated to contain one-half of all global terrestrial carbon in tropicalforests, according to scientific studies. Some scientists claimthat 20%-25% deforestation in the Amazon could shift it to a non-forest ecosystem, thus endangering the current ecological services it provides. Fire in the Brazilian Amazon Humans intentionally set the majority of fires in the Brazilian Amazon. Most ofthe fires are set every year from July to October to burn recently cleared trees and woody debris, crop residue, overgrown pastures, androadside vegetation. This is done toprepare land forpastures and crops and typically is referred to as slash-and-burn agriculture. Burning vegetation transfers nutrients to poor tropical soils and facilitates land clearing. These intentionally setfires can spread beyond their intended perimeters into neighboring forests and fields. Fires in the Amazon are largely low-lying, and they mainly affect the barkoflarger trees and consume understory saplings and seedlings. These types of fires can cause tree damage or mortality. Excess tree mortality creates gaps in the forest, which can alter the ecosystemby increasing woody fuels and dryness. This alteration increases the forest's susceptibility to more severe fires in the future. The extent and spread of fires in the Brazilian Amazon also can be exacerbated by droughts or long -termreductions in precipitation and moisture. For example, an El Nio event (i.e., typically less precipitation) can increase the susceptibility, severity, and extent of some fires. The number of fire hotspots in the Brazilian Amazon- burning activity detectedby satellite-has increasedin recent years. The number ofhotspots in the IegalBrazilian Amazon in 2020 was nearly 16% higher than in 2019. Figure 2 shows a general upward trendin the number of hotspots since 2011, though recentyears have not reached the peaks seen in 2002-2007. https://crs reports.congress.go\

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most