Fire Outbreaks in the Amazon: How They Have Changed From 1999–2019 and What To Do About Them in the Present
Forest Fires Are Destroying the Biologically Unique World of the Amazon
The Amazon rainforest is a realm of the Earth that contains and sustains about 30 percent of the world’s species. Many people, animal, and plant species solely exist because the Amazon rainforest domain exists to support them. However, Amazon rainforest deforestation has been an ongoing problem in South America (and particularly Brazil) for decades (if not longer) and has had a massively destructive impact on the Amazon rainforest. Deforestation, by definition, is the act of clearing away wide areas of trees to create spaces for farming, cattle ranching, soybean fields, and timber production. While there are a few positive aspects of deforestation, deforestation is mainly harmful. When deforestation occurs, there is the potential for the loss of many lives as well as social and economic implications caused from deforestation.
Not only is deforestation dangerous, but one of the main contributors to deforestation is forest fires. Forest fires are 83 percent correlated with deforestation in the Amazon. That means that 83 percent of the time a forest fire occurs, deforestation of the Amazon rainforest occurs at the same time. Forest fires can have both natural and human causes, but are damaging to a society and its economy and definitely remove the hope to prosper life in the Amazon rainforest.
At the website https://github.com/jmstipanowich/AmazonDeforestation, I constructed a project to determine if deforestation is increasing in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil between 1999–2019 and what factors may influence deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. Today, I plan to expand on that project using a Tableau dashboard with a geocoded map and bar chart to specifically survey forest fires in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil between 1999–2019 to establish an analysis on how forest fires represent strong potential for deforestation. I will present analyses on the changes in forest fires for Brazilian states that are part of the Amazon rainforest from 1999–2019 and recommend what to do in the present to mitigate forest fires and their effects.
To follow along with the Tableau dashboard (and hover over chart values), go to https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/james.stipanowich/viz/AmazonRainforestMapping/FirespotsinBrazilFrom1999-2019.
The data for my dashboard came from a dataset available at https://www.kaggle.com/mbogernetto/brazilian-amazon-rainforest-degradation.
What Were Forest Fires Like in the Amazon Rainforest Regions of Brazil in 1999?
In order to analyze the changes in forest fires in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil from 1999–2019, I will begin by inspecting the data on forest fires at the starting point in my dataset, which was the year 1999. The total amount of forest fires by Brazilian state in 1999 appeared as follows:
By hovering over the state forest fire values for 1999 or by recognizing the darker color of some states, Mato Grosso, Para, and Rondonia were identified with the most forest fires for 1999 with 28,538 fires, 20,478 fires, and 7,121 fires respectively. Also, these three states had the highest percentages of forest fires in relation to total forest fires of all the states containing the Amazon rainforest in Brazil in 1999. Mato Grosso accounted for 45.40 percent of forest fires, Para accounted for 32.58 percent of forest fires, and Rondonia accounted for 11.33 percent of forest fires in 1999.
By hovering over the state forest fire values for 1999 or by recognizing the lighter color of some states, Amapa was identified as the Brazilian state with the least forest fires in 1999 with 101 fires. Amapa accounted for .16 percent of forest fires out of all Brazilian states within the Amazon in that year.
Additional note: After looking through all the years of data individually on my dashboard, Amapa had an unprecedented low percentage of firespots in 1999 compared with all the years of my data.
What Were Forest Fires Like in the Amazon Rainforest Regions of Brazil by 2019?
In order to analyze the changes in forest fires in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil from 1999–2019, I scrutinized the data on forest fires at the ending point in my dataset, which was the year 2019. The total amount of forest fires by Brazilian state in 2019 appeared as follows:
By hovering over the state forest fire values for 2019 or by recognizing the darker color of some states, Para, Mato Grosso, and Amazonas were identified with the most forest fires for 2019 with 29,700 fires, 17,479 fires, and 12,665 fires respectively. Also, these three states had the highest percentages of forest fires in relation to total forest fires of all the states containing the Amazon rainforest in Brazil in 2019. Para accounted for 33.70 percent of forest fires, Mato Grosso accounted for 19.83 percent of forest fires, and Amazonas accounted for 14.37 percent of forest fires in 2019.
By hovering over the state forest fire values for 2019 or by recognizing the lighter color of some states, Tocantins was identified as the Brazilian state with the least forest fires in 2019 with 247 fires. Tocantins accounted for .28 percent of forest fires out of all Brazilian states within the Amazon in that year.
Additional note: After looking through all the years of data individually on my dashboard, Roraima had an unprecedented high percentage of firespots in 2019 and Tocantins had an unprecedented low percentage of firespots in 2019.
What Were Forest Fires Like in the Amazon Rainforest Regions of Brazil Overall From 1999–2019?
In order to analyze the changes in forest fires in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil from 1999–2019, I examined the total data on forest fires from all years put together from 1999–2019. The total amount of forest fires overall by Brazilian state between 1999–2019 appeared as follows:
By hovering over the state forest fire values or by recognizing the darker color of some states, Para, Mato Grosso, and Rondonia were identified with the most forest fires overall between 1999–2019 with 942,283 fires, 595,378 fires, and 340,517 fires respectively. Also, these three states had the highest percentages of forest fires in relation to total forest fires of all the Brazilian states containing the Amazon rainforest from 1999–2019. Para accounted for 38.36 percent of forest fires, Mato Grosso accounted for 24.24 percent of forest fires, and Rondonia accounted for 13.86 percent of forest fires overall.
By hovering over the state forest fire values or by recognizing the lighter color of some states, Tocantins was identified as the Brazilian state with the least forest fires overall with 16,254 fires. Tocantins accounted for .66 percent of forest fires out of all Brazilian states within the Amazon overall.
What Information Do Fire Outbreak Values Convey About Forest Fires? What Should Be Done to Prevent Forest Fires and Their Effects in the Present?
Deforestation is a gigantic issue for the Amazon rainforest at present. With deforestation comes a wide variety of challenges that can be social or economic and demolish life. Forest fires are 83 percent correlated with deforestation. There is a strong chance a forest fire (whether natural or man-made) will lead to mass amounts of deforestation. Based off of the data I presented on my dashboard on forest fires between 1999–2019 — what do fire spot values communicate about Amazon forest fires and how should forest fires be handled in present time to stop them and/or lessen their ability to ruin life for the Amazon rainforest? My conclusions are as follows:
1. Investigate the examples set by the Brazilian states of Amapa and Tocantins to emulate an environment void of extreme amounts of fire outbreaks. Amapa had an unprecedented low percentage of firespots in 1999 and Tocantins had an unprecedented low percentage of firespots in 2019 (based on my data). These states as a whole have the smallest percentages of forest fires of any Brazilian states. Amapa was at a low firespot percentage in the past with little increase to the present, and Tocantins is moving in a direction to protect the environment in the present with the lowest current percentage of firespots of all the Brazilian states.
2. Recognize implications of an unprecedented high percentage of firespots for the Brazilian state of Roraima in 2019. Roraima appears to need assistance in the present to get back on track to end unnecessary forest fires. If Roraima continues to have high forest fire totals, evacuations should be employed to help minimize issues from forest fires in this Brazilian state. Constructing evacuation arrangements in Roraima are a possible solution to protect the future of the Amazon rainforest.
3. Acknowledge the Brazilian states of Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Para, and Rondonia all had some of the highest forest fire totals for the Amazon rainforest in Brazil for 1999, 2019, and the whole period that covers 1999–2019. These Brazilian states are creating a fire outbreak problem for the whole Amazon rainforest region of Brazil. Initialize campaigns for forestation or reallocate resources in these states so forest fires have less potential to take control of the Amazon rainforest.
Forest fires can be prevented and it all starts with a single decision to take action for positive change. Take that action today for the future of the Amazon.
More information on Amazon deforestation is available at my Github website: https://github.com/jmstipanowich/AmazonDeforestation.
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