The Amazon rainforest is making headlines this year again for being on fire. However, it is not the only ecosystem in Brazil that has been on fire recently.
Another ecosystem that has been on fire in Brazil is: the pantanal wetlands.
What Is The Pantanal Wetlands?
The pantanal wetlands is the world's largest flooded grasslands.
It stretches over three different countries - Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia.
It is an ecosystem which is home to thousands of different species. These different species include birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. One of the biggest, and most beautiful species that can be found in the pantanal wetlands, is the Marsh Deer (also known as the Swamp Deer).
The pantanal wetlands is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are a total of 1,121 heritage sites in the world; the pantanal wetlands is one of them.
The Pantanal Wetlands Today
Sadly, this beautiful heritage site has been on fire this year. Fires in the pantanal wetlands have tripled in size during 2020.
Fires have been going on since the 1st of January this year. From the 1st of January 2020 to the 23rd of July 2020 there has been a 201% increase in fires in these wetlands. This has resulted in at least 3,682 fires in the pantanal wetlands throughout that time.
July 2020 has seen the worst fires on records since records began for tracking this ecosystem. Records began in 1998. Throughout July 2020, they have record the most number of fires that have ever been recorded in the pantanal wetlands - with 1,669 fires in July alone.
You can see footage of the record fires in the pantanal wetlands below.
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