La Paz (Business Emerge) October 10: Bolivia is experiencing one of the most destructive wildfire seasons in its history, with flames engulfing more than 10 million hectares (24.7 million acres) this year, primarily in the country’s tropical eastern region. This record-breaking destruction surpasses previous fire seasons, scorching an area as large as Iceland or Cuba.
Recent data provided by the non-governmental organization, Tierra Foundation, equates the damage to roughly 19 million American football fields. The surge in wildfires has propelled Bolivia beyond its previously devastating fire seasons in 2010 and 2019.
The hardest-hit region has been Santa Cruz, a prosperous agricultural zone in eastern Bolivia near the Brazilian border. This region alone accounts for nearly 7 million hectares of the total, while the neighboring Beni department has seen 3 million hectares consumed by fire.
According to Juan Pablo Chumacero, a researcher with Tierra Foundation, “The scale of destruction witnessed in recent months in eastern Bolivia is unlike anything the country has experienced before, and it’s expected to continue through at least October.”
The catastrophe has severely impacted thousands of families, including farmers and Indigenous communities. Many have been forced from their homes due to the devastation of their properties, crops, and natural resources, including contamination of both air and water supplies. Heart-wrenching images have emerged, showing residents attempting to salvage their possessions from the inferno.
By September, government figures indicated 4.6 million hectares of forest and 2.3 million hectares of grasslands had been ravaged by fire, with September being the most destructive month of the year so far.