The fires burning in the Bolivian Amazon have reached nature reserves. Environmental protection activists demonstrated in the country’s capital, demanding effective actions to fight the fire that is destroying flora and fauna. Three million hectares have burned in Bolivia since the beginning of the year.
Firefighters have been extinguishing extensive forest fires in various parts of Bolivia for weeks. The fires have been fueled by severe drought over the past few months, which has seen river water levels drop to record lows.
Volunteers and volunteers take part in the fight against the fire. According to one of them, a fire near the town of Rurrenabaque in the Beni department in the north-west of the country has been going on for a month and is difficult to extinguish.
“Our fauna and flora are disappearing”
Environmental protection activists demonstrated in the country’s capital on Friday, demanding more effective measures to combat the conflagration that is destroying fauna and flora. Footage and photos show deer, tapirs, rodents and various bird species that have died.
– Thousands of animals are dying. Our vegetation, fauna and flora are disappearing, said one of the demonstrators, Nataly Zamora. – We want to declare a nationwide state of emergency – he added.
Demonstration in the capital of BoliviaReuters
Three million hectares burned
The Bolivian Ministry of the Environment reported that almost 97,000 fire outbreaks were detected in November. Since the beginning of the year, an area of three million hectares has burned across the country.
Brazil is also struggling with large vegetation fires. The fire is raging in the Pantanal plain, the largest wetland in the world. According to local officials, more than 2,300 fires were reported in the first days of November.
Fires in BoliviaReuters
Main photo source: Reuters