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Seasonal fire management by traditional cattle ranchers prevents the spread of wildfire in the Brazilian Cerrado

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Abstract

The use of fire by cattle ranchers is a major source of conflict between conservationists and local communities in tropical savannas. We evaluate the role of traditional pastoral management in wildfire prevention in two protected areas within the Brazilian savanna. Fine-grain field data from transect walks and interviews were combined with geospatial data at landscape scale to compare fire regimes in community-managed areas with those in government-managed areas. Local pastoral management creates seasonal mosaic patterns of burnings performed for productive activities and for deliberate landscape management, i.e. to protect fire-sensitive vegetation and avoid wildfires. Whereas government-managed areas were affected by large biennial late dry season wildfires, community-managed areas with a regular fire regime suffered less damage. These systems are under threat and poorly understood by researchers and environmental managers. In order to improve fire management in tropical savannas, greater understanding of pastoral management practices and their spatiotemporal dimensions is required.

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Fig. 1

Source field data, INPE (RessourceSat 2 image), and ICMBio data (rivers and limits)

Fig. 2

Source data from INPE queimadas (30 m) compiled by authors

Fig. 3

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Notes

  1. The Aqua MT satellite detects a fire front as small as 30 m in length and 1 m in width. The data are updated daily, producing new maps every month or two, depending on visibility.

  2. For scene 221_067, INPE provides 6 data series for 2015 and 10 for 2014. For scene 221_068, 11 data series were downloaded for 2015 and 10 for 2014.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the families of the community of Mumbuca and Boa Esperança, and of the Ascolombas-Rios Association (Mateiros, Tocantins State) and environmental managers of ICMBio and Naturatins for welcoming us and taking part in the research. We also thank James Taylor for the careful revision of the manuscript. This study was funded by Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) through the “Cerrado-Jalapão” Project. LE received a Research Grant from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) through the “Ciências sem fronteiras” Programme (Grant Number 88881.068021/2014-01) and from CNRS (Soutien à la mobilité Internationale).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), UMR5281 ART-DEV, Université Montpellier 3, Site Saint-Charles, Montpellier, France

    Ludivine Eloy

  2. Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de Brasília, P.O. Box 04457, Brasília, DF, CEP 70910-900, Brazil

    Isabel Belloni Schmidt, Silvia Laine Borges & Maxmiller Cardoso Ferreira

  3. Associação das Comunidades Quilombolas dos Rios Novo, Preto e Riachão (Ascolombolas-Rio), Mateiros, TO, CEP: 77593-000, Brazil

    Teomenilton A. dos Santos

  4. Centro de Desenvolvimento Sustentável, Universidade de Brasília - Asa Norte, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro Gleba A, Brasília, DF, CEP: 70910-900, Brazil

    Ludivine Eloy

  5. Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal de Goiás – Regional Catalão, Avenida Doutor Lamartine Pinto de Avelar, Loteamento Vila Chaud, Catalão, GO, 75704020, Brazil

    Maxmiller Cardoso Ferreira

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Eloy, L., Schmidt, I.B., Borges, S.L. et al. Seasonal fire management by traditional cattle ranchers prevents the spread of wildfire in the Brazilian Cerrado. Ambio 48, 890–899 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1118-8

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