Fund from JBS will help fight fire in the Pantanal
Packer and tanning group JBS has created a fund of $5.3 million to set up a fire detection system in the Pantanal, an area of tropical wetlands covering approximately 2.5 million hectares, mostly in Brazil, but with areas extending into Bolivia and Paraguay.
It is an area of diverse fauna and flora but is endangered by human encroachment and, frequently, by fire.
The new JBS fund will seek to quell outbreaks of fire quickly to reduce their spread and the extent of the damage they can cause.
It will use the fund to set up a system of communication cameras mounted on towers to detect fire outbreaks. The data will be analysed by a software programme that will quickly warn a special taskforce about the location and the extent of the fire. The system is backed up by satellite information that can pinpoint any hotspots.
