2020 Fires in Brazil

The report identifies 12 cases of fire in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes in August 2020, totaling 20,064 hectares of prior deforestation. It links these fires to the preparation of land for pasture or crop production and highlights that major traders like Bunge, Cargill, and JBS are connected to farms engaging in these practices.

• Between December 14, 2019, and July 25, 2020, 12 selected cases of fire in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes were preceded by deforestation totaling 20,064 ha.
• Satellite imagery indicates that fire is being used to prepare land for crop production or pasture after native vegetation has been cleared, confirming that agricultural commodities drive fire in Brazil.
• Major soy and cattle processors with zero-deforestation commitments are purchasing from farms that have both engaged in land conversion and experienced fire outbreaks in August 2020.
• In the Cerrado biome, several farms linked to Bunge and Cargill experienced significant deforestation and subsequent fires in August 2020, including Fazenda Bananal (5,213 ha cleared), Fazenda Serra Branca I (3,784 ha cleared), and Fazenda Eliane (1,419 ha cleared).
• The report identifies links between land grabbing and fire; for example, Fazenda Primavera (1,344 ha cleared) is owned by Euclides de Carli, described as the largest land grabber in Matopiba.
• In the Amazon biome, Fazenda Lagoa do Triunfo IV and V saw 929 ha of rainforest cleared between October 2019 and June 2020, with fires detected in August 2020; the farm cluster is linked to suppliers for JBS, Marfrig, and Minerva.
• CalyxAgro, a subsidiary of Louis Dreyfus Commodities (LDC), owns Fazenda Esplendor and Fazenda Novo México, where 3,737 ha were deforested between February and May 2020, followed by fires on July 3, 2020.

APA

Mighty Earth (2020). 2020 Fires in Brazil. https://www.mightyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/RR-Special-Fires-Brazil-part-22.pdf

Chicago

Mighty Earth. 2020 Fires in Brazil. 2020. https://www.mightyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/RR-Special-Fires-Brazil-part-22.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Mighty Earth |title=2020 Fires in Brazil |date=September 2020 |url=https://www.mightyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/RR-Special-Fires-Brazil-part-22.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mightyearth20202020, author = {{Mighty Earth}}, title = {{2020 Fires in Brazil}}, institution = {Mighty Earth}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.mightyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/RR-Special-Fires-Brazil-part-22.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }