Lalo de Almeida:
ASHES FROM PARADISE: Humankind X Nature

The Pantanal is the largest floodplain in the world. A biome formed by a savanna of approximately 250,000 square kilometers in length, occuping the south of the state of Mato Grosso, in Brazil, and spreading  across northern Paraguay, eastern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. More than 70% of its area is in Brazil, 140 thousand square kilometers.

Its fauna has 650 species of birds, 124 species of mammals, 1,100 types of butterflies, 263 species of fishes, plus a multitude of reptiles and tortoises. The flora is composed of a mosaic of four distinct regions, the Amazon Rainforest, the Cerrado and the Caatinga( seasonal ecosystems characterized by distinct dry and wet seasons) and the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica).

In 2020, 38,900 square kilometers were consumed by fire - an area equivalent to the state of Rio de Janeiro. Most of those fires were started by human action on farms in the area, according to satellite images. The burning season usually starts with the arrival of winter, at the end of June.

The series “Pantanal Ablaze”, that we are presenting as “Ashes from paradise”, was the winner of World Press Photo 2021 Photo Contest in the category Environment.