Implementation of Fire Policies in Brazil: An Assessment of Fire Dynamics in Brazilian Savanna

Ananda Santa Rosa de Andrade, Rossano Marchetti Ramos, Edson Eyji Sano, Renata Libonati, Filippe Lemos Maia Santos, Julia Abrantes Rodrigues, Marcos Giongo, Rafael Rodrigues da Franca and Ruth Elias de Paula Laranja
Additional contact information
Ananda Santa Rosa de Andrade: Department of Geography, University of Brasilia, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
Rossano Marchetti Ramos: National Center for the Prevention and Fighting of Forest Fires, Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, Brasília 70818-900, Brazil
Edson Eyji Sano: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Planaltina 73301-970, Brazil
Renata Libonati: Department of Meteorology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-919, Brazil
Filippe Lemos Maia Santos: Department of Meteorology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-919, Brazil
Julia Abrantes Rodrigues: Department of Meteorology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-919, Brazil
Marcos Giongo: Center for Environmental Monitoring and Fire Management, Department of Forest Engineering, Federal University of Tocantins, Tocantins 77402-970, Brazil
Rafael Rodrigues da Franca: Department of Geography, University of Brasilia, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
Ruth Elias de Paula Laranja: Department of Geography, University of Brasilia, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 20, 1-14

Abstract: In 2012, the Brazilian government implemented the Federal Brigades Program (FBP), a fire policy strategy to hire and train firefighters to combat wildfires. This study analyzed the impact of this program on fire behavior before (2008–2012) and after (2013–2017) its implementation in the Parque do Araguaia Indigenous Land, the largest indigenous territory with the highest occurrence of fires in the Brazilian tropical savanna. We analyzed the annual pattern of fire incidence in the dry season, the fire impact per vegetation type, the recurrence, and the relationship between fire and precipitation. The datasets were based on active fire products derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Landsat and Resourcesat-based burned area products, and the records of the fire combat operations. Our results showed that FBP contributed to the reduction of the number of areas affected by fires and to the formation of a more heterogeneous environment composed of fire-resistant and fire-sensitive native vegetation fragments. On the other hand, after the implementation of the FBP, there was an increase in the recurrence of 3–4 years of fires. We concluded that the FBP is an important public policy capable of providing improvements in fire management activities.

Keywords: fire pattern; firefighters; indigenous land; environmental policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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