- #forest
Mexico battles a record 120 wildfires in 19 states
Firefighters in Mexico are fighting 120 fires raging across 19 states, burning through areas of land that include 24 Natural Protected Areas (ANP). Mexico’s National Forestry Commission (Conafor) reported Wednesday that 6,195 firefighters and 7 helicopter teams are battling blazes that have ravaged 7,137 hectares. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told reporters Thursday that four people died this week while fighting the wildfires in México state. They included a police officer, a firefighter, and two volunteers, he said. The Aristegui Noticias news agency reported that the number of fires has increased sixfold since last week. Conafor’s March 15–21 report indicated there were only 20 active forest fires, covering just 208 hectares. On March 26, the commission reported 126 forest fires threatening 4,725 hectares. In the past two days, at least six fires have been controlled, but active fires have burned an additional 1,400 hectares. México state, which surrounds Mexico City on three sides, has the most active fires in the country, with 20, while Veracruz has the greatest amount of affected surface area, according to government officials. The president said the National Civil Protection Coordination is working with the Defense Ministry, the Naval Ministry, and Conafor in cooperation with state and municipal agencies to control the fires. Other federal entities besides México state that have been hard hit this year during the wildfire season include Hidalgo, Guerrero, Chiapas, and Michoacán. The Mexico City Atmospheric Monitoring System (SIMAT) on Wednesday cited the fires in issuing a poor air quality alert to capital residents. Since January 1,667, forest fires have been registered in 23 of Mexico’s 32 federal entities, impacting more than 22,000 hectares, according to Conafor. According to official data, the causes include intentionally setting fires and agricultural activities. Extended drought conditions, high temperatures, and strong winds have combined to fuel the conflagrations. Budget cuts to Conafor have also complicated fighting the record number of blazes. On Wednesday, the newspaper El Universal published columnist Héctor de Mauleón’s piece detailing how Conafor’s budget has been continually slashed since the beginning of López Obrador’s presidency. In former President Enrique Peña Nieto’s final year in office, Conafor’s budget exceeded 5.3 billion pesos — about US $265 million in 2018 pesos. The following year, López Obrador’s government reduced Conafor’s budget by 34% to 3.5 billion pesos (worth about US $187 million in 2019). When Conafor’s budget was decreased yet again in 2020 by an additional 8.5%, Greenpeace and other civil society organizations issued a statement warning that the dismantling of Conafor’s technical, human, financial, and operational capacities put Mexico at great risk. However, Conafor’s 2024 budget came in at just under 2.7 billion pesos — a total 49% cut from where it had been in 2018 — even as the agency announced it was bracing for a potentially explosive wildfire season. The risk of wildfires is exacerbated by the fact that Mexico has experienced an intense, generalized drought in recent years and extreme temperatures. Earlier this month the National Water Commission (Conagua) identified 14 federal entities suffering from extreme drought. Read more about wild fire in Latin America
4 weeks ago
4 weeks ago
- #forest
Brazil, France invest $1.1b in Amazon rainforest
Last month
- #forest
A new tiny forest of 1000 trees is coming to NYC
2 months ago
- #forest
Texas wildfire ranks among largest in US
2 months ago
- #forest
Ancient rainforest to be restored in Devon
3 months ago
- #forest
Drones and AI team up to reforest Rio de Janeiro
4 months ago
- #forest
Poland Halts Logging in 10 of Its Oldest Forests
4 months ago
- #forest
Joe Biden to ban logging in US old-growth forests
4 months ago
- #forest
Monitoring EU forests with satellites
5 months ago
- #forest
Brazil allocated $65 million for Amazon oversight
5 months ago
- #forest
Countries of Major Rainforests Agree Work Together
6 months ago
- #forest
Amazon rainforest international security hub
8 months ago
- #forest
Australia logging ban to create koala haven
8 months ago
- #forest
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon falls 66%
8 months ago
- #forest
Greece wildfire scorches area bigger than New York
8 months ago
- #forest
8 nations launch alliance to fight deforestation
9 months ago
- #forest
Dove to restore 123,000 acres of rainforest
9 months ago
- #forest
Seed-planting robot aids Amazon reforestation
10 months ago
- #forest
Canada wildfire smoke reaches Europe
11 months ago
- #forest
$53 mln for global forest protection scheme
Last year
- #forest
Germany pledges millions to save Amazon fainforest
Last year