A firefighter works during a wildfire near Robore, Santa Cruz region, in eastern Bolivia on Thursday. (AFP/Getty Images)
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Monday, August 26
Weeks have passed and thousands of wildfires continue to burn rampantly through the Bolivian regions of the Chiquitano, Amazon, and Pantanal, where over 1 million hectares (2.4 million acres) of woodlands and forest have been devoured over the past month.
The flames continue to spiral out of control due to challenging climatic conditions, including strong winds and drought, and attention is now being focused on the Amazonian national park of Otuquis. (Video footage below captured by Daniela Moreno.)
The Minister of Presidency, Juan Ramón Quintana, informed Monday that the government-rented firefighting SuperTanker (of Global SuperTanker Services LLC), will concentrate its operations in the Patanal region, the world’s largest wetland area that borders neighboring Brazil and Paraguay.
Bolivia wildfires cause hundreds of species of wildlife to seek refuge, like this lone deer in Otuquis National Park. Photo: Juan Carlos Urgel
Juan Carlos Urgel, biologist and tourism operator in Otuquis has shared that the situation unfolding in the area is surreal. “The only thing visible are ashes as far as the eye can see,” he said, as quoted in El Deber on Monday.
Citizens across the country continue to pacifically gather in Bolivia’s largest cities to express and vocalize their demands of the national government, including the abolishment of an executive order (Decreto Supremo 3973) that supports controlled land burning of the Chiquitano dry forest and the immediate allowance of all planes and people to organize and work independently without bureaucratic delays.
Bolivia’s wildfires spur civil gatherings throughout the country to demonstrate frustration with central government. | Photo by Jessica Janoski, The Bohemian Diaries
Although President Evo Morales has not officially declared a national disaster (as of Monday, August 26), he has since changed his position regarding acceptance of international aid, stating in a press conference on Sunday (Aug 25) that “all international help is welcome to put the fires out in the Chiquitania.”
Bolivians continue to urge and plead for international relief to help fight the flames that threaten as many as five of Bolivia’s 21 national parks and reserves. Activists, influencers, and local residents have taken to social media to raise awareness of the country’s dire situation, and raise funds to finance supplies, equipment and volunteer support.
CURRENT UPDATES & NEWS
Tuesday, August 27
Heavy rain fell over the Pantanal Monday evening and over the Chiquitanía region today, helping to quell the flames in Otuquis National Park. Smoke has continues to blanket eastern Bolivia, and many indigenous communities have been displaced.
The burnt remains of Otuquis National Park. Photo: Marcelo Parejas Terrazas
President Evo Morales has still not declared a national disaster, and his visit to the region on today has spurred even further backlash and resentment throughout the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where citizens gathered once again on Tuesday evening to express their desperation for more international aid, and for the president’s immediate declaration of a national disaster.
Wednesday, August 28
After Tuesday’s heavy rainfall, the devastation surrounding Bolivia’s extreme wildfires only continues as volunteer firefighters, forest rangers, and vets survey the aftermath of the flames in various national parks and nature reserves, and the Supertanker heads to Charagua where new fires have been detected.
Bolivia Wildfires in the International Press: A Chronological Timeline
(Articles specific to fires in Bolivia are shown below, not shown are general Amazon and Brazil related stories)
Monday, August 19, 2019
Thursday, August 22, 2019
- With forest wildfires raging, Bolivia seeks help from SuperTanker plane (Reuters)
- Bolivia ramps up efforts to control wildfires (Global News)
- Bolivia dice que avión cisterna SuperTanker llegará el viernes para controlar incendio en Santa Cruz (CNN Español)
- Algunas de las imágenes más compartidas de los incendios de la selva amazónica son viejas o no son del Amazonas (CNN Español)
Friday, August 23, 2019
- It’s Not Just Brazil’s Amazon – Bolivia’s Vital Forests Are Burning Out of Control, Too (Science Alert)
- Bolivia, like neighbour Brazil, battles intense wildfires that have so far burnt 500,000 hectares (Euro News)
- Avión cisterna estadounidense llega a Bolivia para combatir incendios (CNN Español)
- El mapa interactivo que muestra en tiempo real los incendios en el Amazonas (CNN Español)
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Sunday, August 25, 2019
-
Bolivia president does about-face and will now accept aid to put out wildfires (Reuters)
Monday, August 26, 2019
- It’s not just Brazil’s Amazon that is on fire, Bolivia is facing it’s own disaster (The Guardian)
- As Amazon Burns, Fires in Next-Door Bolivia Also Wreak Havoc (NY Times)
- Bolivia’s Amazon is on fire too. More than 1.8 million acres have been burned (CNN)
- Bolivia’s Electoral Campaign Caught Fire As Forest Fire Rages Out of Control in Eastern Lowlands (Financial Express)
- Bolivia’s president welcomes int’l aid to put out wildfires (Famagusta Gazette)
- Bolivian President accepts aid as Amazon fires double in size (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- Bolivia’s Morales asks for help to quell Amazon fires (Al Jazeera)
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
- Amazon Fires: What About Bolivia (BBC)
- The world believes the Amazon is in trouble because of Bolsonaro. Instead, they should look to Bolivia. (Independent)
- Bolivia: catastrophic wildfires devastate forest in echo of Brazil’s Amazon crisis (The Guardian)
- Morales thanks G7 for ‘tiny’ Amazon aid (written by AFP – published by various outlet, shown here Yahoo News)
- While all eyes are on Brazil, Bolivia battles its own vast Amazon fires (Written by The Associated Press – republished in various news outlets, shown here CBC Radio Canada)
- Minnesota teacher brings attention to Amazon rainforest wildfires in Bolivia (Fox 9 News)
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
- Firefighters work for third week to contain fires in Bolivia (CGTN)
- Bolivia lost 1.2 mn hectares to fires this year, govt says (Yahoo News)
- Bolivia’s Morales Fights Amazon Fires (Bloomberg)
- This 747 Is Fighting Fires in the Amazon (Popular Mechanics)
- Un millón de hectáreas en la Amazonía boliviana han sido arrasadas por los incendios (CNN Español)
Thursday, August 29, 2019
- Brazil’s Neighbors Are Also Burning and Poisoning the Amazon (Bloomberg)
- Bolivians blame government for not doing enough to put out fires (CGTN)
- Bolivia: Ecological disaster as Amazon blazes rage (Al Jazeera)
- El rescate de una anaconda tras incendios de la Amazonía en Bolivia (CNN Español)
- Militares argentinos buscan ayudar a apagar los incendios en Bolivia (CNN Español)
Friday, August 30, 2019
- Bolivia’s ‘environmentalist’ president Morales under fire over Amazon (Financial Times)
- Bolivia struggles to keep wildfires under control (CGTN)
- ¿Por qué el fuego no cesa en Bolivia? Lo que debes saber (CNN Español)
- Activista habla del impacto de los incendios en la flora y fauna de Bolivia (CNN Español)
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Monday, September 2, 2019
DONATIONS
If you would like to contribute donations internationally to help fund vet supplies, firefighting equipment, and supplies for volunteers, please visit these sites:
👉https://www.gofundme.com/f/chiquitaniabolivia
👉https://www.waterthruskin.com/aid-bolivia
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