Marajó Archipelago faces forest fires and drought emergency

The Marajó Archipelago in Pará, Brazil, is facing severe environmental challenges due to advancing forest fires and intense drought. In the municipality of Muaná, a Level II state of emergency has been decreed to address climatological disasters affecting urban, rural, and riverside areas. The drought, exacerbated by El Niño, has led to biodiversity loss, destruction of vegetation, and risks to public health due to poor air quality.

In response to the fires, which have already burned 16,980 hectares in the Marajó Archipelago Environmental Protection Area (APA) according to MapBiomas, local producers are being trained as firefighters. In Soure, training programs are underway to transform rural workers into emergency responders to improve prevention and rapid response capabilities ahead of the historically high-risk months of October, November, and December.