NGO report detects nearly 10,000 hectares burned in Tarija fires

Forest fires have ravaged nearly 10,000 hectares in Bolivia's Tarija region, affecting the Central Valley and the Sama Biological Reserve between July 16 and 22. A preliminary report from the environmental NGO Prometa indicates that 9,949.03 hectares were impacted across sectors including La Victoria-Sella, Quirusillas-Alpahuasi, and Pinos Sur-Pampa Redonda.

The Prometa report highlights La Victoria-Sella as the most critically affected area due to the sheer scale and magnitude of the damage. While the fire in Quirusillas-Alpahuasi, where the burning initially started, appears less severe in comparison, the Pinos Sur-Pampa Redonda sector, though smaller in area, shows a comparable moderate-to-high severity. The Sama Biological Reserve alone lost 5,270.70 hectares to the fires.

Quantification of the burned areas was conducted by Prometa using satellite imagery from Sentinel-2 and the differential burn index (dNBR) method. This data reveals a heterogeneous pattern of damage, with varying degrees of spectral changes. The fires prompted a mobilization of resources, with approximately 300 individuals, including volunteer firefighters, military personnel, and local community members, engaged in ground operations.

Two helicopters from the Bolivian Air Force (FAB) provided aerial support to help extinguish the flames. The Departmental Directorate of the Authority for Social Control and Supervision of Forests and Land (ABT) has yet to release an official report on the fires, leaving Prometa's preliminary findings as the primary source of information on the extent of the devastation.