First modification:
301 forest fires have affected 20 of the country’s 32 departments in the last two months, causing the devastation of 86,000 hectares of forest. More than half of the outbreaks have affected the Amazon, according to the Ministry of the Interior, and although none occur in Bogotá, they did cause the declaration of an environmental alert in the capital, due to the impoverishment of air quality.
Temperatures higher than usual and environmental pollution are the consequences that reach the Colombian capital, Bogotá, as a result of the fires that consume the national parks of La Macarena and Chiribiquete.
In the rest of the country, the fire has devastated 86,000 hectares of forests in 20 of the 32 departments and in 142 of the more than 1,100 municipalities, according to figures shared by Interior Minister Daniel Palacios, and has caused some kind of alert. in 597 municipalities in total, red in 550 of them, according to data from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
Since mid-December there have been 301 forest fires, 10 of which remain active. The department of Guaviare, with four outbreaks still uncontrolled in the town of Calamar, is the most affected region.
Criminal hands behind the devastation
The dry season has little to do with the spread of the flames, which mainly affect the Amazon and Orinoquia. The Colombian government has attributed the emergency to the action of criminal groups.
The practice of deforestation to make room for illicit crops and livestock is the main trigger, but according to the Minister of Defense, the FARC dissidents are behind the fire in Chiribiquete Park.
“There, the Miller Perdomo column has systematically sought for the last four days to generate forest fires with two purposes: first, to destroy the forest to grab land; and second, to develop illegal extensive ranching actions in order to use resources and launder money ( of drug trafficking) in that area of the country,” Molano said after a flyover of the area.
To deal with the emergency, the government has launched Operation Artemisa, which employs 400 law enforcement officers to confront the criminal hands behind the fires. In addition, search posters have been issued for 17 alleged deforesters, for whose capture rewards of up to 300 million pesos (more than 75,000 dollars) are offered.
Consequences for human and environmental health
The fires have been the worst in several years, as environmental groups warn, and threaten an area like the Amazon, whose preservation is considered vital to face climate change.
“The intensity of the fires is greater than what we have seen in many years, that is an alarming sign,” Rodrigo Botero, general director of the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development, warned in an interview.
The loss of hectares is more than double that of last year (when the fires affected 41,600 hectares) and also exceeds the 62,200 in 2020.
The deterioration of air quality and the respiratory problems that it brings are also causing warning statements, such as the one issued by the District Administration of Bogotá.
Livestock practices and illicit crops, identified as reasons for starting the fires, could also cause the displacement of indigenous communities settled in the affected areas, where land is cleared for the construction of roads and not only for breeding and planting.
With EFE and Reuters
First modification:
301 forest fires have affected 20 of the country’s 32 departments in the last two months, causing the devastation of 86,000 hectares of forest. More than half of the outbreaks have affected the Amazon, according to the Ministry of the Interior, and although none occur in Bogotá, they did cause the declaration of an environmental alert in the capital, due to the impoverishment of air quality.
Temperatures higher than usual and environmental pollution are the consequences that reach the Colombian capital, Bogotá, as a result of the fires that consume the national parks of La Macarena and Chiribiquete.
In the rest of the country, the fire has devastated 86,000 hectares of forests in 20 of the 32 departments and in 142 of the more than 1,100 municipalities, according to figures shared by Interior Minister Daniel Palacios, and has caused some kind of alert. in 597 municipalities in total, red in 550 of them, according to data from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
Since mid-December there have been 301 forest fires, 10 of which remain active. The department of Guaviare, with four outbreaks still uncontrolled in the town of Calamar, is the most affected region.
Criminal hands behind the devastation
The dry season has little to do with the spread of the flames, which mainly affect the Amazon and Orinoquia. The Colombian government has attributed the emergency to the action of criminal groups.
The practice of deforestation to make room for illicit crops and livestock is the main trigger, but according to the Minister of Defense, the FARC dissidents are behind the fire in Chiribiquete Park.
“There, the Miller Perdomo column has systematically sought for the last four days to generate forest fires with two purposes: first, to destroy the forest to grab land; and second, to develop illegal extensive ranching actions in order to use resources and launder money ( of drug trafficking) in that area of the country,” Molano said after a flyover of the area.
To deal with the emergency, the government has launched Operation Artemisa, which employs 400 law enforcement officers to confront the criminal hands behind the fires. In addition, search posters have been issued for 17 alleged deforesters, for whose capture rewards of up to 300 million pesos (more than 75,000 dollars) are offered.
Consequences for human and environmental health
The fires have been the worst in several years, as environmental groups warn, and threaten an area like the Amazon, whose preservation is considered vital to face climate change.
“The intensity of the fires is greater than what we have seen in many years, that is an alarming sign,” Rodrigo Botero, general director of the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development, warned in an interview.
The loss of hectares is more than double that of last year (when the fires affected 41,600 hectares) and also exceeds the 62,200 in 2020.
The deterioration of air quality and the respiratory problems that it brings are also causing warning statements, such as the one issued by the District Administration of Bogotá.
Livestock practices and illicit crops, identified as reasons for starting the fires, could also cause the displacement of indigenous communities settled in the affected areas, where land is cleared for the construction of roads and not only for breeding and planting.
With EFE and Reuters
First modification:
301 forest fires have affected 20 of the country’s 32 departments in the last two months, causing the devastation of 86,000 hectares of forest. More than half of the outbreaks have affected the Amazon, according to the Ministry of the Interior, and although none occur in Bogotá, they did cause the declaration of an environmental alert in the capital, due to the impoverishment of air quality.
Temperatures higher than usual and environmental pollution are the consequences that reach the Colombian capital, Bogotá, as a result of the fires that consume the national parks of La Macarena and Chiribiquete.
In the rest of the country, the fire has devastated 86,000 hectares of forests in 20 of the 32 departments and in 142 of the more than 1,100 municipalities, according to figures shared by Interior Minister Daniel Palacios, and has caused some kind of alert. in 597 municipalities in total, red in 550 of them, according to data from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
Since mid-December there have been 301 forest fires, 10 of which remain active. The department of Guaviare, with four outbreaks still uncontrolled in the town of Calamar, is the most affected region.
Criminal hands behind the devastation
The dry season has little to do with the spread of the flames, which mainly affect the Amazon and Orinoquia. The Colombian government has attributed the emergency to the action of criminal groups.
The practice of deforestation to make room for illicit crops and livestock is the main trigger, but according to the Minister of Defense, the FARC dissidents are behind the fire in Chiribiquete Park.
“There, the Miller Perdomo column has systematically sought for the last four days to generate forest fires with two purposes: first, to destroy the forest to grab land; and second, to develop illegal extensive ranching actions in order to use resources and launder money ( of drug trafficking) in that area of the country,” Molano said after a flyover of the area.
To deal with the emergency, the government has launched Operation Artemisa, which employs 400 law enforcement officers to confront the criminal hands behind the fires. In addition, search posters have been issued for 17 alleged deforesters, for whose capture rewards of up to 300 million pesos (more than 75,000 dollars) are offered.
Consequences for human and environmental health
The fires have been the worst in several years, as environmental groups warn, and threaten an area like the Amazon, whose preservation is considered vital to face climate change.
“The intensity of the fires is greater than what we have seen in many years, that is an alarming sign,” Rodrigo Botero, general director of the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development, warned in an interview.
The loss of hectares is more than double that of last year (when the fires affected 41,600 hectares) and also exceeds the 62,200 in 2020.
The deterioration of air quality and the respiratory problems that it brings are also causing warning statements, such as the one issued by the District Administration of Bogotá.
Livestock practices and illicit crops, identified as reasons for starting the fires, could also cause the displacement of indigenous communities settled in the affected areas, where land is cleared for the construction of roads and not only for breeding and planting.
With EFE and Reuters
First modification:
301 forest fires have affected 20 of the country’s 32 departments in the last two months, causing the devastation of 86,000 hectares of forest. More than half of the outbreaks have affected the Amazon, according to the Ministry of the Interior, and although none occur in Bogotá, they did cause the declaration of an environmental alert in the capital, due to the impoverishment of air quality.
Temperatures higher than usual and environmental pollution are the consequences that reach the Colombian capital, Bogotá, as a result of the fires that consume the national parks of La Macarena and Chiribiquete.
In the rest of the country, the fire has devastated 86,000 hectares of forests in 20 of the 32 departments and in 142 of the more than 1,100 municipalities, according to figures shared by Interior Minister Daniel Palacios, and has caused some kind of alert. in 597 municipalities in total, red in 550 of them, according to data from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
Since mid-December there have been 301 forest fires, 10 of which remain active. The department of Guaviare, with four outbreaks still uncontrolled in the town of Calamar, is the most affected region.
Criminal hands behind the devastation
The dry season has little to do with the spread of the flames, which mainly affect the Amazon and Orinoquia. The Colombian government has attributed the emergency to the action of criminal groups.
The practice of deforestation to make room for illicit crops and livestock is the main trigger, but according to the Minister of Defense, the FARC dissidents are behind the fire in Chiribiquete Park.
“There, the Miller Perdomo column has systematically sought for the last four days to generate forest fires with two purposes: first, to destroy the forest to grab land; and second, to develop illegal extensive ranching actions in order to use resources and launder money ( of drug trafficking) in that area of the country,” Molano said after a flyover of the area.
To deal with the emergency, the government has launched Operation Artemisa, which employs 400 law enforcement officers to confront the criminal hands behind the fires. In addition, search posters have been issued for 17 alleged deforesters, for whose capture rewards of up to 300 million pesos (more than 75,000 dollars) are offered.
Consequences for human and environmental health
The fires have been the worst in several years, as environmental groups warn, and threaten an area like the Amazon, whose preservation is considered vital to face climate change.
“The intensity of the fires is greater than what we have seen in many years, that is an alarming sign,” Rodrigo Botero, general director of the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development, warned in an interview.
The loss of hectares is more than double that of last year (when the fires affected 41,600 hectares) and also exceeds the 62,200 in 2020.
The deterioration of air quality and the respiratory problems that it brings are also causing warning statements, such as the one issued by the District Administration of Bogotá.
Livestock practices and illicit crops, identified as reasons for starting the fires, could also cause the displacement of indigenous communities settled in the affected areas, where land is cleared for the construction of roads and not only for breeding and planting.
With EFE and Reuters