What causes tropical forest fires?

Rainforests are not naturally flammable. Fires are linked to deforestation, often driven by agricultural production.

 
 

Brazil

Many of the fires take place in the Amazon and Cerrado regions, where commodities destined for large companies are produced.

 
 

Indonesia

Clearing land for palm oil and pulp plantations is a major cause of fires in Indonesia.

Photos by F.Martinho (Repórter Brasil, 2019) and N.Saputra (CIFOR, Indonesia, 2019)

IMPACTS

Health

Forest fires have a detrimental impact on human health…

Covid-19

The health impacts of fires are magnified by Covid-19.

Climate Change

The links between climate change and tropical forest fires.

Economic

Forest fires have negative economic consequences,…

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MAPPING FIRES AND DEFORESTATION

There are different methods and tools which are used to gather data on deforestation rates and fire detection. A variety of data sources are used depending on factors such as:

 

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