The Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, has burned to the ground this year. The surge of fires before the peak of the dry season has raised alarm for the Pantanal, which extends into Bolivia and Paraguay and is home to a rich array of wildlife.
According to a recent study, the reason behind the spike in wildfires in the biome is that it has lost the most water since 1985.
“The annual water surface (at least 6 months with water) in 2023 was 382,000 hectares - 61% below the historical average. There has been a reduction in the area flooded and the length of time the water remains. Last year, only 2.6% of the biome was covered by water. The Pantanal accounts for 2% of the country’s (Brazil) total water surface,” a study conducted by MapBiomas, released on June 26, said.
The Pantanal is home to some of the greatest biodiversity in South America, rivalling that of the Amazon, including caiman, the world’s largest rodent, the capybara, and the highest density of jaguars anywhere on Earth. Every year its “flood pulse” ( the annual rise and fall of the water levels) witnesses a surge with water during the rainy season and is empty throughout the dry months. However, the climate crisis, droughts and weak rains have disrupted this seasonal pattern, turning the land into a tinderbox.
More than 760,000 hectares (1.8m acres) have already burned across the Brazilian Pantanal in 2024, as fires surge to the highest levels since 2020, the worst year on record. While naturally occurring blazes take place in the Pantanal, including those sparked by lightning, humans started the vast majority of wildfires. Ranchers use fires to clear land for their cattle – as they have for centuries – but those that were once contained by the wetland’s abundant water now rage out of control.
With the blazes starting unusually early this year – in late May and early June, before the annual fire season between July and September – experts predict 2024 will be the most devastating in decades.


Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi. We publish news and analysis on issues that deal with sustainable development, which we scan through the eyes of science and environment.

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