wrr_case_study_amazon_fires-575aa71e24186033.pdf

This case study examines the response of the state of Acre, Brazil, to severe droughts and wildfires in 2005 and 2010. It details the implementation of a centralized 'situation room' to coordinate fire-fighting efforts using satellite data and technical expertise, while analyzing the environmental impacts, policy interventions, and systemic barriers to fire control in the western Amazon.

• The state of Acre experienced two severe droughts of "once in a century" magnitude in 2005 and 2010, which led to extensive wildfires caused by deliberate deforestation and pasture management fires escaping control. The 2005 event resulted in economic, social, and environmental losses estimated at USD 100 million and damaged between 267,000 and 417,000 hectares of forest.
• To manage the 2005 and 2010 crises, Acre authorities established a centralized "situation room" to coordinate government institutions and prioritize fire-fighting. This room used daily updates from satellite data and overflights to monitor forest fires and place crews, though it was more effective at preserving rural dwellings than reducing overall rural fires.
• The government's response was supported by technical data from the National Institute of Space Research (INPE), which provides satellite-derived map updates every 3 hours, and the NASA-funded LBA-ECO project, which provided experts and data on fire distribution and rainforest susceptibility.
• Despite the situation room, the scale of the fires far exceeded available human resources. In 2005, with approximately 400 professional firefighters and an estimated 500,000 hectares of impacted forest and open areas, each firefighter was effectively responsible for over 1,000 hectares.
• Acre has implemented several innovative conservation policies, including the Sistema de Incentivo a Servços Ambientais (SISA) in 2010 and "ecological-economic zoning" to designate priority conservation areas. Additionally, Acre signed a memorandum of understanding in November 2010 with Chiapas, Mexico, and California, USA, to develop a carbon credits program for avoided deforestation.
• Several barriers hindered effective fire control, including the fact that fire use is "culturally-embedded and economically cheap," limited financial and human resources for rural extension work, and a lack of prior experience with wide-scale burning in the western Amazon before 2005.
• The document concludes that contingency planning must begin several months before the dry season and suggests that the UN Hyogo Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction could provide a framework for building community resilience in Acre.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). wrr_case_study_amazon_fires-575aa71e24186033.pdf. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_amazon_fires.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. wrr_case_study_amazon_fires-575aa71e24186033.pdf. n.d. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_amazon_fires.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=wrr_case_study_amazon_fires-575aa71e24186033.pdf |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_amazon_fires.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendwrrcasestudyamazonfires575aa71e24186033pdf, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{wrr\_case\_study\_amazon\_fires-575aa71e24186033.pdf}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/wrr_case_study_amazon_fires.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }