- hot-spots
- forest fire
- Bolivia
- Forest Fires in Bolivia
Problems
Bolivia is facing a severe problem of forest loss due to farm expansion and fires. According to Global Forest Watch, Bolivia lost nearly 3,860 square kilometers of primary forest in 2022, making it the third country in the world for forest loss after Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The main causes of the fires inBolivia
The leading cause of the fires is slash-and-burn clearing by farmers ahead of crop planting, which is allowed by local laws. The forest fires have been located in the eastern Santa Cruz department. Fires in Santa Cruz razed an area twice the size of Jamaica, with more than half of the affected land falling inside protected areas. The fires have been aggravated by widespread deforestation to expand farming or pasture land.
Consequences of forest fires in Bolivia
The consequences of the fires have been severe in Bolivia. According to government reports, fires charred more than 1.3 million acres in 2020, burning dangerously close to several towns and causing widespread damage to crops and grazing lands. In Santa Cruz and Chuquisaca, fires have collectively been destroyed. Tucabaca Valley Municipal Wildlife and Otuquis National Park, both in the semi-arid Chiquitania region of southern Bolivia, were among the protected areas most affected by the fire. In addition to habitat loss, smoke from the fires reportedly resulted in vision and respiratory problems for residents of nearby communities.
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Timelines
2023
October
Tens of thousands of Bolivian pupils had their classes suspended as schools closed their doors due to air pollution caused by massive forest fires, the education minister said. The Santa Cruz region, Bolivia's economic engine and most populous region has been most affected. It is a common practice to set fires to free up forest land for farming. According to the Environment Ministry, some two million hectares (4.9 million acres) of forest and grassland have been burned this year. The skies over the capital La Paz and the second city of El Alto, which hosts the international airport, were blackened by smoke. In 2023, more than 42,100 wildfire outbreaks were recorded in Bolivia. This was the highest figure registered since 2019 when the South American country reached a record high with a total of 44,273 wildfires recorded.
2022
Tucabaca Valley Municipal Wildlife Reserve was again affected by the fire. In September, fires burned across some 130 square kilometers (50 square miles)—or 5%—of Tucabaca’s territory, according to satellite data from NASA. The data show the fires began in early September and were concentrated in two extensive burns in the southern part of the reserve. Otuquis National Park, also in the Chiquitania region, was also hit by fire in 2022.
2021
Tucabaca Valley Municipal Wildlife Reserve, comprising around 2,644 square kilometers (1,021 square miles) of semi-arid forest and scrubland in southern Bolivia’s Chiquitania region, was severely damaged by fire in 2021. Global Forest Watch data show the reserve lost around 3,330 hectares (33.3 square kilometers or around 13 square miles) of forest to fire in 2021 alone.
2020
Small, controlled fires were routinely used to maintain pastures, burn off spent crops, clear brush and forest, fertilize the soil, and burn trash. But the fires in 2020— like those in 2019 —were anything but routine. They prompted the government to declare a state of emergency. Rather than remaining small and burning for short periods, fires in 2020 escaped and burned unchecked in several ecosystems, including the Pantanal wetlands in the eastern part of the country, the dry Chiquitano forest in the southeast, and Beni savanna and Amazon rainforest areas in the north.
2010
Bolivia's forest fires led the country's government to declare an emergency as wildfires spread across the country. Over 25,000 fires are burning across 15,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 acres).