Wildfires disproportionately affected jaguars in the Pantanal

Wildfires, particularly the severe 2020 fires, disproportionately impacted jaguars in the Pantanal, threatening their long-term survival. The study analyzed fire reach and intensity over 16 years, revealing that the 2020 fires burned 31% of the Pantanal, affecting 45% of the jaguar population (87% in Brazil), 79% of home range areas, and 54% of protected areas within these ranges. The fires consumed core habitats, leading to potential impacts on jaguars such as displacement, hunger, dehydration, territorial defense, and reduced fecundity. These effects may also destabilize the region's ecology by affecting less mobile species. The study suggests mitigating anthropogenic causes of drought, expanding protected areas, regulating fire use, and preemptive fire brigade deployment to prevent future mega-fires.

de Barros, A. E., Morato, R. G., Fleming, C. H., Pardini, R., Oliveira-Santos, L. G. R., Tomas, W. M., Kantek, D. L. Z., Tortato, F. R., Fragoso, C. E., Azevedo, F. C. C., Thompson, J. J., & Prado, P. I. (2022). Wildfires disproportionately affected jaguars in the Pantanal. Communications Biology, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-03937-1