File:Fires in Madagascar (MODIS 2024-11-17).jpg

English: Hundreds of fires were burning across Madagascar in mid-November 2024. On November 14, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired this true-color image showing active fire and smoke affecting a small portion of the northeastern section of the island.

Red dots mark areas where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical smoke, as in this image, such “hot spots” are diagnostic for actively burning fires.

Given the time of year, location, and widespread nature of the fires, they are most likely agricultural fires which have been deliberately set by people in order to improve pastureland or aid in cropping.

Most of the fires are scattered across the light green expanse of the eastern coastal plain, which is prime pastureland which are often managed with fire. Fewer fires are visible in vegetated areas of the foothills and rarely can be seen in the highland interior. Some fires burn within or at the edges of forests, which look very dark green. In those spots, the fires may be wildfires, but they are more likely intentionally set and managed to clear land for use, a type of deforestation that threatens the remnants of Madagascar’s once-widespread forests.

The backbone of Madagascar’s agriculture is raising cattle, so pasture management is one of the primary uses of fire. Burning grasslands prevents the encroachment of woody plants that are unpalatable to cattle and allows an abundance of fresh grasses to nourish cattle. According to one estimate, about one quarter to one half of the island’s grasslands are burned each year.