What are the effects of the dry forest fires in the Gran Chaco region?

Fire is a natural feature of some dry tropical ecosystems. However, in recent decades, fires have become more frequent and more intense, partly as a result of climate change and changes in land use. This is the case in the Gran Chaco Americano, one of the world's largest dry forests, which stretches across Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil.

One remarkable aspect of this study is the obvious imbalance between the regions in terms of the documentation available; while information on the Argentine Chaco is abundant, documentation on the Paraguayan or Bolivian Chaco is virtually non-existent. The rainfall gradient and periods of drought are the main climatic factors triggering fires, while livestock farming is the main socio-economic activity in this region and the main precursor to forest fires. In general, much of the available information focuses on the ecological aspects of the fire regime, such as the effect of fire on the functional characteristics of plants, such as bark thickness, regrowth capacity and flammability patterns. Other post-fire effects on soil, invasive species, herbivory and soil seed banks were also studied in detail to understand ecosystem recovery and research needs. Finally, we highlight current needs and future prospects, mainly related to the severity of soil burns (SBS), invasive species and the impact on wildlife. Although our study focused specifically on changes in the Gran Chaco fire regime, some generalities were discussed about fire regimes that may be relevant to various fire-sensitive ecosystems in the tropics.

Vidal-Riveros, C., Souza-Alonso, P., Bravo, S., Laino, R., & Bieng, M. A. N. (2023). A review of wildfires effects across the Gran Chaco region. Forest Ecology and Management, 549, 121432.