Rain puts out Pantanal fires, but the damage is already done

Residents of Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands breathed a collective sigh of relief over the weekend, as long-awaited rains arrived to extinguish the fires that had enveloped the region in recent weeks. From 1,086 fires identified last week by satellites of the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) — and over 2,000 in the first half of the month, the total dropped all the way to zero on Monday.

But this year’s atypical Pantanal fire season could leave wounds that will be felt for years to come — and there’s no guarantee the flames won’t kick up again in December.

Fires in the Pantanal, in Brazil’s Center-West region, are a yearly occurrence. As is the case in many of Brazil’s biomes, the region does not experience the four seasons, but rather wet and dry periods.

During the dry season, which typically reaches its peak between July and September, withered vegetation turns into biomass and even the most innocuous of fires can turn into marauding infernos. The annual rains beginning around late September and October act as natural firefighters, subduing the flames and flooding the land once more.

This year’s spurt in fires has been extremely abnormal, however, reaching its peak as late as November, with altered weather patterns delaying the arrival of the rainy season. 

“Without the regular amount of rainfall expected between November and March every year, the natural flood pulse in the Pantanal will be gravely affected, perpetuating a...