Black Jaguar - SOS Araguaia

The burning season threatens not only the fauna and flora of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, but also our future. We, from Black Jaguar Foundation, have been working since 2017 in Brazil to realise one of the largest ecological restoration projects in the world, connecting the Cerrado and the Amazon in the center of Brazil via a green corridor.

By 2022, we will have planted 1 million native trees on the banks of the Araguaia River. There will be 10 million trees planted by 2025. As the fires rapidly advance, it is not only these ecological restoration areas that are at risk, but the whole surrounding region and remaining nature.

1. Prevention: Conducting the training of voluntary fire brigade to support the local prevention plan, and reinforcing firebreaks on restoration sites.

1.1 Training volunteer fire brigades – For both Prevention and Combat, local fire brigades need to be trained in the areas close to our restoration sites for the coming millions of native trees. Black Jaguar will provide for the professional training of fire brigade in Santana do Araguaia (PA), who will certify the volunteers in managing fire-fighting equipments. The fire brigades will be managed with the support of the Enviromental Secretary and local landowners and communities.

1.2 Reinforcing firebreaks - Firebreaks are strips of bare land which physically separate two areas susceptible to fire. Black Jaguar field team and local workers build these firebreaks on restoration sites, with the help of tractors, and they then restrict the passage of fire to new areas of vegetation, making the fire more easily controlled.

2. Fire Fighting: Besides training, fire brigades need appropriate equipment and water supply to put out the fire.

2.1 Black Jaguar will purchase appropriate fire-fighting equipment, such as blowers, back pumps and dampers, allowing brigades to act at the beginning of occurrences and prevent them from worsening.

2.2 Once the fire is already raging in an area, however, only water is capable of extinguishing the flames. Additionally, in the case of an extinct fire, there is an action called aftermath, which is when a previously burnt area is wetted to prevent a new outbreak of fire. BJF will support the rental of for water-tank on wheels to the municipality of Santana do Araguaia.

We will enable the training and equip the fire brigades in the cities of Santana do Araguaia (PA) and Caseara (TO), as well as create fire breaks and reinforce those that already exist. In addition, our goal is to enlist the support of water trucks for the immediate combat of fire outbreaks and the aftermath of the area.

We will reserve a sum of money for contingencies that arise and to support the fire brigade of the Cantão State Park (TO), as this is a vital conservation unit present in the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, and it is close to the areas under restoration by the Black Jaguar Foundation.