Histórico de incêndios em campos rupestres disjuntos: um estudo de caso em Carrancas, Minas Gerais

Abstract

Recurring fires represent the worst fire scenario to natural ecosystems because they result from changes in the environment’s sustainable fire regimes. Data on current regimes could drive better fire management strategies, but they are barely available for campos rupestres (rupestrian grasslands), particularly those that are legally unprotected. Here, we aimed to describe and analyse uncontrolled fire regimes in campo rupestre remnants using a case study in the municipality of Carrancas, southern Minas Gerais. We identified the fire records and mapped fire-prone areas according to local social actors. The data were collected through a survey of secondary sources and participatory community mapping with a focal group. We synthesised the collected information in a historical matrix and generated a map of fire-prone areas. 43 fire records were identified between 2010 and 2019. Native grasslands, followed by permanent preservation areas, were the most affected by the fires. Our findings reinforce that inadequate fire regimes have been recurrent in disjunct campos rupestres, mainly due to the increase in fire occurrences in the late dry season. They also reveal the susceptibility of mountain areas under these conditions and the risks to biodiversity and ecosystem services. It is urgent to ensure sustainable fire regimes, acknowledging the ecological and sociocultural roles of fire and to introduce traditional fire management as a conservationist practice.