Number of wildfires in South America 2023, by country

Throughout 2023, Brazil reported nearly 190,000 wildfire outbreaks, by far the highest figure in South America. Bolivia registered the second-largest number of wildfires in the region that year, at over 42,100. On the other hand, 372 wildfires were detected in French Guiana during the reported period, the lowest number amongst South American countries and territories.

The lungs of the world

Spanning nine different countries, the Amazon rainforest makes up approximately 40 percent of South America. Predominantly encompassed by Brazil, the government has made some efforts towards protecting what is left of the world's most abundant tropical rainforest. Over five million square kilometers of land area lie under a special regime designated as the Legal Amazon in Brazil. Nevertheless, wildfires in the region remain a cause for concern. In 2023, nearly 127,000 outbreaks were registered in the Legal Amazon, accounting for more than half of the country's occurrences that year.

Brazil's blind ambition

At the heart of the issue of wildfires is deforestation as a technique to expand land for farming and pastures. Along with the incremental rise in wildfires, the Amazon's deforestation rate has seen a continual increase for most of the decade. As Brazil climbs global markets to become the leading producer of soybean and beef, the country's agricultural ambitions have led to the lightening of environmental restrictions and the re-allocation of land for farming purposes. In turn, the area planted with crops in the Legal Amazon has nearly tripled since 2000.