Fires in Brazilian Amazon Set Back Forest Conservation Efforts

An increase in fires in the Brazilian Amazon threatens to cancel out some of the carbon dioxide reductions achieved through UN forest management programs, according to a new study. An analysis of satellite data by the University of Exeter showed that fires have increased by 59 percent in areas that have experienced reduced deforestation through conservation efforts, including the UN program known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), according to the study published in the journal Science. The fires rarely occur naturally, but are typically the result of “slash and burn” methods used by Brazilian farmers to create new fields from forests or clear new growth from fields. The extra carbon produced when those fires spread to surrounding forests is not taken into account by the REDD framework. The researchers say that the benefits of deforestation will be partially negated if fire-free land management is not incorporated into the REDD program.