Irene Hartmann
08/24/2020 - 17:31
- Clarín.com
- Society
The question is simple: why are almost 100,000 hectares of the country under fire , taking into account the multiple sources of fire in Córdoba, the Delta -cordon that treads part of Santa Fe and Entre Ríos-, Catamarca and several northern provinces of the country. The answer is complex, assured several sources linked to the national and provincial portfolios of Environment and Security with whom Clarín spoke . The most mentioned word was “multifactorial” .
The where is not easy to pin down either: the foci are too many and the fire is dynamic, which is drawing a constantly changing map. But at the end of this note it was like this: there were, a) a thousand hectares burning in Catamarca, b) sources of varying magnitude in the provinces of Formosa, Chaco, Salta, Jujuy, Tucumán and Santiago del Estero, c) 15,000 hectares of uncontrollable flames in Córdoba (in Villa Albertina, department of Ischilín and, 15 kilometers from the capital of that province, in the vicinity of La Calera), and d) worrying fires in the Paraná Delta, which had under fire some 90,000 hectares, some from Entre Ríos and others from Santa Fe.
To continue with the questions, almost no source wanted to estimate the damage that will remain as a result of these episodes, neither in terms of the number of people affected, nor the economic representation of their assets, or in terms of the flora and fauna affected.
Aerial view of the fires in Córdoba, where the fire has already consumed more than 15 thousand hectares. Photos The Voice
Only the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development shared with Clarín a list of the natural species in danger from the fire, both in Córdoba and in the Delta, the two regions most affected at this time. And of the second they detailed that the portfolio has spent 17 million pesos in fire control, only in the Delta area.
Of course, there is no such thing as an estimated date when the flames will be controlled and / or extinguished. As a summary of what follows, the sources emphasized that the circumstances of the fires are "multi-causal", but admitted that 90% are linked to human action .
The first spark
"It should be noted that it is a complex situation that has multiple causes: let's not stop with the fact that there are ten types that determine the future of 1,250,000 hectares." With these words, Valeria González Wetzel, a graduate in Biodiversity, a master's degree in Integrated Water Resources Management and undersecretary of the Entre Ríos Ministry of the Environment, summarized her vision. For her it is a complex phenomenon that intersects, on the one hand, the effects of climate change, "which feel very strong in the region" and, on the other, the " irresponsible attitudes of multiple actors ".
Shocking image of how firefighters work to stop the fire along National Route 38, in Córdoba. Photo Government of Córdoba
It is "an uncontrollable combo", he pointed out and, in clear allusion to the claim of sectors of the most radical environmentalism, who are fighting for the elimination of agriculture in the Delta wetlands, he pointed out: "Simplifying what is not simple is a prejudice."
What is that "complex" that causes fires? Ernesto Massa, an agronomist and researcher at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA-Paraná) explained it: “Fire in natural vegetation is used from the livestock point of view and is an old practice. The Delta has a particular vegetation, linked to the hydrological cycle, that is, to the rising and falling of the Paraná River, which has extremes. Now we have a year of extraordinary downstream of the river . Last year there were conditions for the vegetation to grow and there is a preference matrix of that vegetation for high temperatures to develop and grow. But when low temperatures come, the vegetation dries up and a lot of biomass is produced that accumulates and is highly combustible ”.
From that circumstance to the fire, there are several ways. From any spark of one that made a barbecue and put out the embers badly, a fallen high voltage cable or lightning, to the intentional action of burning that dry biomass to generate sprouts with which to feed the livestock .
The flames of the forest fires advance in Córdoba. Photo The Voice
In off, several sources coincided in pointing out two other causes that bother: the burning for the development of real estate projects , on the one hand, and the intention of generating "unrest in society . " That is, based on political motivations or objectives.
Buckets of water
According to González Wetzel, "the solutions have to come from multiple places: legislation, effective management and expert knowledge." Abelardo Llosa, national director of Planning and Environmental Regulation of the Territory, under the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Nation, spoke about this. Llosa is from Entre Ríos and works directly on the Comprehensive Strategic Plan for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Paraná Delta (PIECAS), an interjurisdictional agreement between the provinces of Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos and Santa Fe, together with the national government, to manage the wetlands of the Paraná Delta.
"The problem is not new. In 2008 something similar happened. The truth is that it is possible that it is necessary to implement with more emphasis initiatives of prevention, dialogue and preventive management of these situations, "he explained.
Forest fires affect bioversity due to the death of animals and forest species in the affected areas.
Among the initiatives taken is the Network of Conservation Lighthouses : "The idea is to install in the Delta a network of centers with park rangers, drones, vehicles, thermal cameras that offer early information on conflicts and promote dialogue with producers and islanders to change the culture and fire management in the Delta. A conservation lighthouse has already been installed in Santa Fe, another in Entre Ríos, and there will be a third in front of Rosario and another in Villa Constitución. "
According to Llosa, "to the logical causes must be added the odd situation of vandalism , deliberate actions to set fire to cause damage, or some political provocation as well."
And, in line with what the other sources said, he added that, beyond the fact that intentional burning many times “gets out of hand” due to the Delta's own fuel condition, “there is a regional drought situation , which it means that we have almost no rainfall , not counting episodes of high temperature, which make up a climatic and hydrological situation favorable to fires ”. All problems related to climate change, a product of global warming, an issue in which Argentina seems to be "green", in the bad sense of the term.
Regarding the impact on biodiversity, according to data from the Environment of the Nation, "among the threatened species in the Paraná Delta region is the swamp deer, in danger of extinction. Among the arboreal plant communities, the river forest stands out. mixed, made up of species such as Creole willow, river alder, cannelloni and laurel, among others ". Meanwhile, in Córdoba, "the populations of small mammals, amphibians and reptiles are declining" and "fast-moving species such as medium and large mammals may have problems competing for resources outside their original habitats."
This is how one of the fields that Clarín traveled in the Entre Rios Islands remained, due to the fires in the Delta. (Juan José García)
Fire in the mountains
A senior source from the Cordoba Ministry of Security evaluated the local situation of the fires in that province and, thinking about the causes, pointed out several items: on the one hand, the intense winds in the Villa Albertina area. On the other hand, it hasn't rained for 100 days . And, furthermore, that "90% of fires are caused by human action."
The source wanted to give more details but excused himself with an explanation as reasonable as it was surprising: “I am waiting for news ... everyone in the area has no cell phone signal . Communication is difficult. Some of the places affected by the fire are in areas with very difficult access ”.
The condiments that spread fire in Córdoba are understood between the drought and the winds. But what about the first spark? They say that the phenomenon is different from that of the Delta, but perhaps not so much ... “Sometimes someone is caught red-handed setting fire on purpose, a madman , let's say. Or, unintentionally, someone who cooked a barbecue and the fire got out of hand. There is also the burning of garbage or the custom of some baqueanos to burn pastures with the idea that the grass will grow stronger to feed the animals.
View of smoke plumes from fires in the Delta, taken in late July. More than 90 thousand hectares have already been burned in the area. (EFE)
At the end of this text, some 15,000 hectares of Córdoba were on fire. “In 2013 the fires were worse, but this is said to be the largest in the last ten years in the Ischilín area. I would not venture to say that in the entire province, "explained the source of the Security portfolio.
Virtuous cycle
“In the world there is a complete library under the concept of ' integral fire management '. The easiest thing in the face of these events is to fall into a disjunctive vision between the producers, the ranchers, mainly, and the prohibitive State, with the idea thatthe fire must be extinguished. But it is an old vision ”, emphasized Ernesto Massa.
His vision (apart from what traditional environmental sectors would say), is that fire should be “controlled” and not necessarily eliminated: “In the Delta there will always be some fire event, because of how the hydrological cycle itself is. There is water and it is a wetland. There is biomass production, which dries up and becomes fire-friendly. Covering it up would be a mistake ”.
Instead, he noted, “you have to legislate intelligently and spend money to control these actions. Investigate in order to make the best decisions. "
For him, it is key "to teach users, from those who go fishing to ranchers, how to manage the practice or the farm in the best way, reducing fire risks depending on the vegetation." Because, he concluded, " a place like the Delta is not uniform. It is 4,000 kilometers long. Each area of the river is a different world. "
DD