Forest fires in El Avila negatively affect the forests, the \”lungs\” of the capital city.
Photo from the archives of Venezuela\’s El Universal newspaper.
Since the beginning of the dry season, there has been a 150% increase in the number of forest fires around Caracas this year as compared to the same time last year. Members of the Federal District Fire Fighters Unit report that they respond to about 30 fires a day. Last year at this same time, they responded to no more than 10 a day. Many of these fires are burning in and around El Avila National Park. In the last two weeks alone, 298 hectares of El Avila have burned. In other parts of the country, upwards of 500 fires have been reported-some of these fires have affected national parks like Sierra de Perijá, Henri Pittier and Sierra Nevada. These fires have devastated 600-forested hectares throughout the country.
The Firemen believe that the increase in forest fires within El Ávila National Park is due to poverty-stricken people living within the park. They cook, leave campfires, and leave combustible material and broken glass, all of which can increase the risk of forest fires during the dry season, and especially during a drought.
To make matter worse, the Unified Command for Forest Fire Prevention has had a more difficult time in extinguishing some of the fires because of lack of water and lack of appropriate equipment. The Fire Fighters Unit recently received 8 special fire fighting trucks from the Spanish Government (through an agreement with the Ministry of Finance), but because of bureaucratic delays, 15 additional trucks are held up in customs. Rodolfo Briceño, the Fire Fighting Unit\’s Chief, said, \”The drought and water rationing affects us and makes these trucks even more vital. We have called Customs Service in order to speed up the process to get the trucks.\”
Concerned Stakeholders
In addition to the forest fires, other problems affect the park. Delinquency is on the rise in tourist areas of the park and sparked a response from several non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Three NGOs, including the Guardians and Custodians of El Avila, La Julia Stakeholder Committee, and Neighborhood Protection Unit, have gathered signatures in support of a solicitation to the National Parks Institute to better staff the guard posts and make better use of the guard posts. The stakeholders involved in this campaign are concerned that because the guard posts lack electricity, radios and telephones, visitors are unable to communicate with authorities in the event of an accident. The NGOs involved also feel that vigilance in the park has diminished and violations of park rules have increased as a result. For example, there are more people camping in prohibited zones, burning unauthorized campfires that contribute to bigger problems like forest fires.
The Venezuelan Environmental Law states that if convicted, those who start forest fires in the jungle, forest or other area covered by natural vegetation could face one to six years of prison and a fine equal to 1,000 to 6,000 days of minimum wage (this is between $3,000 and $18,000, in US Dollars).
ParksWatch: March 2003