Brazil - September 16, 2024

The wildfires in the Pantanal wetlands, the world's largest tropical wetland, have raged the region since August, threatening the habitats of local wild lives there.

To fight the flames, a makeshift command post has been set up, bringing together nearly 100 firefighters, environmentalist and staff members from wildlife services.

According to a group of firefighters, they had to take a boat for approximately 40 minutes to reach a site across the river to put out the fire there, which started in early August but has reignited repeatedly afterwards.

Such recurring fire incidents are commonly seen during the dry season in the Pantanal wetlands over the past years.

Water levels decrease during the dry season and rise again in the rainy season in the Pantanal wetlands. Yet, the dry season has lengthened while the rainy season has shortened in recent years, with insufficient rainfall during the latter.

As a result, the upstream areas that are supposed to supply water to the wetlands are unable to provide adequate water now.

Biologists said the fires in the Pantanal wetlands not only have directly cause the deaths of numerous animals, but also severely damaged their habitats.

Shotlist:
Mato Grosso State, Brazil - Sept 16, 2024:
1. Aerial shot of smoke over Pantanal wetland;
2. Aerial shot of burnt trees;
3. Helicopter;
4. Vehicles;
5. Firefighters carrying equipment;
6. Pickup truck moving;
7. Firefighters;
8. Various of cracked land;
9. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) William Assuncao, analyst, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (starting with shot 8):
"The water supply to the wetlands has decreased, the time of water duration in the region is shorter. As a consequence, the wetlands dry out more quickly as the time they are exposed to the sun get longer, making it easier for these fires to get in.";
10. Wild bird;
11. Hyacinth macaw;
12. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Bruno Henrique Grossi Carvalho, biologist (starting with shot 11/ending with shot 13):
"The hyacinth macaw primarily feeds on two types of fruits that come from two specific palm trees in the Pantanal region. Wildfires that destroy these fruits prevent the macaws from feeding. Additionally, the wildfire has also devastated their nests. These birds stay on some large trees, so when the fire passes and the trees fall, these macaws would lose their nests.";
13. Wild birds;
14. Aerial shots of Pantanal wetland.

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