Minas Gerais strengthens measures against fires in rural areas

The Minas Gerais State Government and the Minas Gerais Fire Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding today (October 13) with the Minas Gerais agribusiness sector to prevent fires in rural areas. The state has the largest planted forest area in the country, with over 2,3 million hectares, in addition to extensive areas of conservation units and crops.

"With a climate characterized by dry periods like the one we're currently experiencing, the state becomes vulnerable to these fires. Preventing fires in rural areas requires a collective effort, guided by education, planning, and environmental responsibility," said Agriculture Secretary Thales Fernandes. 

Among the agribusiness representatives present at the ceremony were the Faemg Senar System, the Minas Gerais Forestry Industry Association (Amif), the Ocemg System, the Bioenergy and Sugar Industry Association of Minas Gerais (Siamig Bioenergia) and the Minas Gerais Technical Assistance Company (Emater-MG).

Joint actions

The protocol reinforces the development of public policies that promote the training of rural brigades, share mapped hotspots, and integrate efforts to strengthen community resilience in the face of forest fires.

According to the general commander of the Minas Gerais Fire Department, Colonel Jordana Filgueiras, the partnership aims to act in a more coordinated manner, increasingly preventing forest fires in rural areas, helping to preserve the diversity and sustainability of agriculture. 

The initiative also seeks to align communication strategies, environmental education, and public policies focused on sustainability, creating a collaborative network between government, producers, and civil society to address the challenges caused by wildfires.

Losses

According to studies by Emater-MG, in August and September of last year alone, the estimated financial impact of fires in rural areas reached R$1,2 billion. The area affected during this period exceeded 305 hectares throughout the state, encompassing native forests, planted forests, sugarcane plantations, coffee plantations, fruit crops, pastures, and other crops.

Fires in vegetation cover cause severe impacts on various types of crops. Perennial crops such as coffee, for example, are completely rendered unviable, requiring replanting. Pastures and forage crops suffer from pasture loss, requiring livestock removal and supplemental feeding, in addition to soil damage. Planted forests lose their productive and regrowth capacity, also requiring replanting. In native forests, damage to fauna, flora, and air quality compromises human health and sustainable production.