Tropical forests destroyed, dozens of displaced communities and thousands of charred carcasses of livestock and wild animals: since May, gigantic fires, caused by eachos – a practice of clearing land by fire – are devastating the Bolivian Amazon. Faced with this alarming situation, President Luis Arce declared the country in a state of “national catastrophe” on September 30.
In the region, these fires are common during the dry season, which normally extends from June to September. However, this year the drought arrived a month earlier than expected and was particularly intense. “Trees have become more easily flammable”underlines the Argentinian climatologist Juan Minetti, director of the South American Climatology Laboratory, who notes that drought episodes “are becoming more and more common” on the continent.
According to the government’s assessment revealed on September 30, 6.9 million hectares – 40% forest and 60% pasture – have already been devastated. This area, equivalent to that of Ireland, exceeds the previous record of 2019, when more than 5.3 million hectares were devoured by flames. The department of Santa Cruz, the largest and most populous in the country, is the most affected. According to the latest report from the National Meteorology and Hydrology Service on September 28, 72% (4,075) of the 5,663 households were in the region.
The indigenous people, the main victims
The main victims of this tragedy are the indigenous populations. “Almost all of the fifty-eight indigenous territories located in the affected departments [Pando, Beni, Santa Cruz et La Paz] was affected by the fires »worries Alex Villca Limaco, indigenous of the Uchupiamona people and spokesperson for the National Coordination for the Defense of Indigenous and Peasant Territories and Protected Areas of Bolivia.
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Faced with the destruction of their environment, many communities dependent on nut picking, hunting and the collection of medicinal plants for their survival have been forced to migrate to cities. ” We [les peuples indigènes] let us run the risk of a silent death”warns Alex Villca Limaco, who is also worried about the health consequences of the pollution caused by the smoke which covered the region with a gray cloud, harming visibility and making the air unbreathable. “Many people suffer from coughs, respiratory and skin problems. »
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