New Scientist
Image: Duda Arraes
What is a vast grassland doing in the middle of the world’s largest rainforest? Conservationists say that fires started by the indigenous Pemón people have destroyed the forests that should naturally blanket the area, and that fires should be banned. Others argue that the savannah has existed for millennia and that the fires conserve this natural landscape. Both could be wrong.
New research shows that human fires did help shape the landscape, but only after a portion had already become savannah. Some think that burning land could even help protect the remaining forest.
The Gran Sabana looks like an anomaly. It’s part of a 68,000 square kilometre island of savannah in the lush rainforests where Venezuela meets Brazil and Guyana (see map). There have been many different theories about how it formed in a region where the climate favours rainforests, and plenty involve fire. Read more on newscientist.com…
