Status: 09/24/2021 11:18 a.m.
Climate change, drought and fires are affecting the Amazon and the indigenous people living there. Because the Brazilian government is not doing enough and the fire brigade is often overwhelmed, they fight the fires themselves.
They wear yellow jackets and helmets as they march on the dust-dry paths of their tribal area. 29 indigenous women of the Xerente ethnic group are being trained to be fire fighters. They are currently practicing suffocating flames with the help of long wooden poles with fire-resistant rubber mats attached to the end.
“It is an honor for us to be involved in fighting the fire,” explains Hireki da Mata, one of the course participants. Members of the local fire brigade in the Brazilian state of Tocantins instruct the women and explain that they have to pay particular attention to the direction of the wind. Soon the women will be given water canisters that they can strap around their hips to put out smaller fires with a spray head.
Keep an eye out and put out the fire quickly
The idea that the female members of the Xerente tribe should also lend a hand during the fire season came from the women themselves. “We had to help out in 2020 because the fires destroyed so much. That made me incredibly sad,” says the boss Women’s Brigade, Vanessa Sidi. In the Cerrado jungle, in which the indigenous reserve with its 94 villages is located, there is again a fire in many places this year. Brazil’s space agency has registered more than 7,000 fires via satellite in Tocantins alone since the beginning of the year.
With the dried up vegetation in the Pantanal, a spark is enough to start a fire.
Image: Matthias Ebert
Because the thermometer climbs to more than 40 degrees in August and September, it is important to extinguish the flames quickly before they cover entire stretches of land. That is why tribal chief Paulo Cesar Wawekrure also supports the willingness of women to work. “You will now also ensure that our trees and fruits do not burn.”
In the neighboring state of Pará, the hunters from the Krimej and Kayapó tribe patrol the borders of their reserve every week. Many of the fires spread from neighboring farmers to the indigenous reserve. Farmers traditionally burn their fields to prepare them for the coming season or to gain arable land. For years the Kayapó have been feeling the increasing pressure from the agricultural lobby, which is moving ever closer to the reserve with its cattle and soy fields.
“We protect our forest, to which we owe our food. And the rivers in which we fish,” explains Monire Mekragnotire. Shortly afterwards, he runs single file over winding paths through the jungle – in search of fires that threaten his home.
Danger to animals in the Pantanal
Further south, in the Pantanal wetland, the fire is even threatening an ecological catastrophe. Ilvanio Martins from the environmental protection organization “Ecotrópica” stands in front of one of the few remaining water points where more than 100 caimans huddle together in the midday heat. They threaten to die in agony because the water level is much lower than usual at this time of year. Caiman skeletons lie next to the pond. It smells like hell.
Caimans huddle together in the midday heat in a shallow water hole.
Image: Matthias Ebert
Martins calls the state environmental agency for help. You should send a water truck to save the caimans from dying of thirst. For three years the Pantanal has been extremely dry. In 2020, a third of the wetland also went up in flames. More than 17 million animals were killed in the record fires, including many snakes.
“It has not yet been scientifically proven whether this extreme drought can be attributed to climate change. We assume, however,” says Martins’ assistant Karen Domingo. The lack of water is currently an extreme stress test for the animals in the Pantanal.
Waiting for the rainy season
Martins discovers a column of smoke on the horizon. Shortly afterwards, he and his helpers tried to put out the fire. They hit the source of the fire with rubber mats until they are extinguished. Then the wind fanned the flames again elsewhere. Only after an hour do the helpers from Ecotrópica manage to stop the advance of the flames. At least for now. “The Brazilian government is not prepared to fight the annual fires effectively,” complains the environmentalist.
The women of the Xerente tribe know that environmental and climate protection are currently not a political priority for the Brazilian government. “We see the beauty of our nature and therefore want to support our men to preserve our environment,” says Ana Shelley Xerente. They will have to patrol until the end of the year, when the rainy season begins.