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“It is very sad to see decades of my family work, years taking care and preserving nature, for this to happen,” stated Ana Maria Barreto, proprietor of the São Francisco do Perigara, a cattle ranch and hen sanctuary of greater than 61,000 acres in Mato Grosso state.
More than 70% of the farm’s vegetation was destroyed by the blaze, she stated. “It is an unprecedented disaster.”
Between 700 and 1,000 blue macaws lived on the ranch, she stated. “It is the largest known population of free macaws in the world,” Barreto advised CNN.
Most of the birds could have flown to safer places, stated Neiva Guedes, president of the institute. “They can manage to escape fires because they fly, but soon they will run out of food, and that is what we think will affect them most.” The blue macaws survive on fruits and nuts and “as forests burn, so does their food,” Guedes added.
The fires had raged since August 1. On Monday, officers stated that blazes closest to the macaws’ nesting areas had been introduced underneath management, however that they might nonetheless re-ignite, given the excessive temperatures and parched circumstances.
“Every day is a surprise,” stated Sergeant Rogério Perdigão, of the Mato Grosso do Sul Fire Department. “We cannot say that we won, because that is not how it works, but we will continue the battle.”
He despatched CNN a video exhibiting macaws sitting on timber near the place the hearth was just lately extinguished.
“Any victory against the fires has to be celebrated,” he advised CNN. “Macaws are close to us all the time, they don’t stop talking. It seems that they are thanking us,” Perdigão stated.
A protected area, wealthy in biodiversity
The sanctuary is situated in the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland space, which stretches throughout two states in Brazil, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. Consisting of greater than 37 million acres, its wealthy biodiversity is acknowledged in Brazil’s structure and in addition by UNESCO.
But it is also a area that has been focused for fires, geared toward clearing timber and brush to create pasture land.
Carlos Rittl, the chief secretary of the Brazilian Climate Observatory, a coalition of civil society organizations, blames the federal government for failing to forestall fires. “The government has been reducing environmental surveillance since the beginning of Bolsonaro’s government,” he stated.
That’s compounded by the climate, which is drier than standard as a consequence of deforestation, he added. “Researchers are indicating this drier weather in Pantanal is due to the rise of Amazon deforestation, which lowers the level of humidity in Pantanal,” he stated.
At a gathering with leaders from neighboring Amazon nations final week, Bolsonaro insisted experiences about fires in the Amazon had been unfaithful and defended Brazil’s preservation efforts. “Our policy is zero tolerance. Not only for common crime, but also for the environmental issue. Fighting illicit activities is essential for the preservation of our Amazon rainforest.”
But for the homeowners of the São Francisco do Perigara, Ana Maria Barreto and her sister Maria Ignêz, the fires destroyed years of preservation efforts. In 2002, there have been solely 200 blue macaws on the farm. In current years, they managed to quadruple that quantity, she stated.
“It is very sad,” Ana Barreto stated. “We end up being very concerned about what is yet to come. If we are experiencing this in a protected area, what can we expect in the future?”
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