Brazil’s Chapada Diamantina National Park Burning

I just learned the disturbing news that fires are raging out of control in Brazil’s Chapada Diamantina National Park. While the mainstream media doesn’t appear to be reporting the story in Brazil or elsewhere, reports from Brazil’s environmental service indicate that 50% of the park has burned. Independent reports indicate that the fires were originally started by ranchers seeking to clear their land.

I visited the park in May 2005 while living in Salvador da Bahia and I vividly remember climbing to the top of the Fumaca Waterfall — one of the tallest in the world at over 1,200 feet –and surveying the lush, green valley below.

Without many reports to go on, it is unclear exactly what is happening in the remote park. Hopefully the fires will subside and with time the local ecosystem will recover.

A few photos of the park above/below; click any of the photos for an expanded view.

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