Brazilian open-air laboratory conducts research on wildfires

An open-air laboratory located in an area transitioning between two biomes, the Cerrado and the Amazon Rainforest, offers limitless opportunities for studying the environment, human impact, and ecosystem dynamics in response to various natural and human-induced disturbances. This is the reality for researchers at Tanguro Farm, one of the projects developed by the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), a public interest civil society organization (OSCIP) in Querência, in the state of Mato Grosso.

Owned by a traditional agricultural company that previously focused on cattle ranching, Tanguro Farm has preserved a significant portion of its land. Spanning nearly 100,000 hectares across 60 kilometers, the farm serves as a testing ground for experiments that explore the interaction between nature and human activity, as well as the resilience and resistance of ecosystems in both biomes.

Fire research

A contract between producers and researchers, renewed every five years, paved the way for the initial research into fire effects and the recovery of an evergreen seasonal forest. This forest retains its characteristics without human intervention, even during periods of drought. 

Leonardo Santos, a researcher and project manager at Tanguro, explains that the initial goal was to observe how fire behaves in a preserved area. Subsequently, by burning at different intervals, researchers could assess the impacts on local flora and fauna. "It's an area with unique characteristics that had not been studied in terms of fire until then," he says. 

In 2004, a 150-hectare area was selected for research, where a floristic survey documented the original vegetation, animals, and insects. The amount of fuel for the fire, such as dry leaves and branches, was also measured.

The area was divided into three 50-hectare sections: one remained untouched for control, the second was burned every three years, and the third was burned annually, ten times in total. 

Over ten years, these areas were inventoried and monitored every two years using various methods. The monitoring included vegetation structure components, fire behavior, water flow, and carbon production. This data helped researchers understand the effects of fire and the recovery of the burned areas.

"During the burning, the speed of the fire, flame height, and wind speed were measured with mobile equipment. In 2010, when the burning was finished, we installed two towers with sensors to assess the flow of water and the flow of carbon that the forest began to produce in the control area and in those affected by the fire," Santos explains.

Natural recovery

A new stage began with the generation of data on the natural recovery process of the burned sites. Researcher Felipe Arruda, who analyzes the behavior of ants and bees, explains, “Secondary data began to be generated, and new research was developed based on this experience.”

In addition to insects, seeds, and plants, mammals, birds, and the hydrological cycle are also studied at the experimental sites. According to the team, the scientific results of the project, spanning almost 20 years, have stimulated new studies and influenced the development of public policies.

With so many possibilities in a place where agriculture is active—river courses, gallery vegetation, diverse fauna, and flora—partnerships with other institutions have allowed the research to expand. A total of 244 studies have been carried out on the farm, with 190 of them published in significant scientific publications. These studies investigate, for example, the impact of certain types of agriculture on the environment.

Long-term research     

This open space for experimentation has transformed the farm into a hub for researchers from Brazil and around the world to exchange experiences. Additionally, the project has become part of the Long-Term Ecological Research Program (PELD), an initiative of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), which established a network of reference sites for ecosystem ecology research.

“If we don't know the effects of fires on native vegetation, the impact on biodiversity, and how long it takes plant and animal communities to recover, we have no way of predicting what will happen in the future. Long-term studies can provide us with the data we need to make these projections,” he says.

*The reporter traveled at the invitation of the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM).