Record wildfires hit Venezuela during climate-driven Amazon drought

Venezuela is currently facing a surge in wildfires as the Amazon rainforest region grapples with a climate change-induced drought. According to data released on Monday, satellites detected over 30,200 fire points in Venezuela between January and March, marking the highest recorded level for that time period since 1999. These fires are not limited to the Amazon but also affect the country’s other forests and grasslands.

The fires are primarily man-made, often ignited to clear land for agricultural purposes. However, due to unusually high temperatures and low rainfall in northern South America, these fires have been spreading uncontrollably. Researchers attribute the drought to climate change and El Nino, a natural warming phenomenon in the eastern Pacific that disrupts global weather patterns.

While Brazil’s Amazon has experienced some relief during the rainy season, Venezuela’s ongoing fires raise concerns about what lies ahead once the dry season arrives in the country. Manoela Machado, a fire researcher at the University of Oxford, warns that the current situation may escalate into catastrophic megafires in the near future.

The most intense fires in the region traditionally occur in Brazil in August and September, particularly in areas where deforestation for agriculture is rampant. In Venezuela, around 400 firefighters recently battled a major blaze over the Easter weekend that threatens the Henri Pittier National Park, known for its rare cloud forests.

Residents, like Carlos Carruido Perez, expressed shock and alarm at the magnitude of the fire and its impact on the environment. The Venezuelan environment ministry has mobilized efforts to combat the fires in Henri Pittier, including deploying helicopters and additional equipment. Further firefighting operations are also being conducted along a highway that traverses the park.

In Venezuela’s southern Amazon region, NASA data shows 5,690 active fires as of late March, accounting for more than half of all fires burning in the entire Amazon region across nine countries. These fires have enveloped Guayana City in smoke and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of families in the town of Uverito.

Jose Rafael Lozada, a forestry engineer and retired professor at Universidad de Los Andes in Merida, Venezuela, revealed that an estimated 360 square kilometers have been affected by fires in Uverito, an area six times larger than Manhattan. The situation has underscored the lack of a coordinated regional response to address the growing crisis.

A similar pattern of hotter, drier weather has fueled fires in Brazil’s Roraima state, posing a threat to indigenous reserves. Michael Coe, director of the tropics program at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, highlighted that both Venezuela and Roraima have experienced significantly reduced rainfall levels in recent months.

The cycle of climate change exacerbating dry conditions that intensify fires, which in turn release greenhouse gases contributing to further climate change, has created a perilous feedback loop, according to Lozada. Human activity, primarily forest clearing for agricultural purposes, is the main driver of fires in the rainforest.

The Amazon drought has caused widespread disruptions, including record-low river levels and adverse impacts on wildlife and transportation. Despite ample information on the escalating fires and climate risks, governments in the region have failed to mount effective responses to prevent and combat these fires, as noted by Machado.

To address the crisis, Machado called for stricter regulations prohibiting fires during dry periods, swift targeted responses to contain fires, and the permanent hiring of firefighters. However, experts and firefighters in Venezuela criticized the government’s inadequate response, citing a lack of equipment and resources to effectively combat forest fires.

William Lopez, a union leader with the state-owned forestry company Maderas del Orinoco, emphasized the challenges faced by firefighters operating without proper equipment. Despite the growing urgency of the situation, government officials in Venezuela did not respond to requests for comments on their firefighting efforts.

(Reporting by Jake Spring in Sao Paulo, Mircely Guanipa in Maracay, Venezuela, Maria Ramirez in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, and Tibisay Romero in Valencia, Venezuela; Additional reporting by Vivian Sequera and Mayela Armas in Caracas; Editing by Bill Berkrot)