Use of fire in the hidden settlement, Mato Grosso-Brazil

Abstract

The practice of using fire by human populations is characterized as a production strategy in rural settlements, being used for several purposes, such as pasture cleaning, pest control, and to eliminate production waste. The study was conducted at the Federal Settlement Project Gleba do Escondido (PA Escondido), located in the municipality of Juara, in the northern region of the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. In this context, we aim with the present work, to diagnose the previous knowledge of settled farmers on forest fires prevention and control strategies. To accomplish this, we applied a semi-structured questionnaire, with questions related to the use of fire, in addition to the approach on prevention techniques. In addition, we sought to know the social aspects, introducing questions regarding the social and cultural conditions of the interviewees. We applied the interviews to 42 settlers, involving individuals of both genders. The results show that part of the settlers still handle the fire inappropriately, in addition to little knowledge about the potential environmental effects of the fires. Thus, we verified that the socio-environmental profile of the settlers reflects the assistance policies employed in these communities. Therefore, the emergency tangent for maintaining a healthy environment would be the implementation of environmental education programs, with the objective of sensitizing the community about fire’s proper use and management, together with environmental conservation