Written by Maria Clara Valencia
Friday, 23 December 2011 12:34
December is not only a time for festivities, this month also marks the beginning of the drought in the Amazonian region of Colombia, which extends through February. With this also comes crop burning, traditionally used by local communities in preparing the land for crops and livestock. However these practices, due to poor control, have caused forest fires that have destroyed 66,500 hectares (ha) of forest since 2006, putting the region's ecosystems at risk.
The tradition teaches that the ash leaves potassium in the soil, which favors the preparation of the land. "The problem is that if it rains, the ash is carried away and the soil is exposed. When the fire goes underground, it kills the microorganisms in the subsurface and this affects the fertility, "explains Juan Vergel, coordinator of sustainable development for the southern Amazon (CorpoAmazonia).
According to Professor Dolores Armento, from the department of biology at the National University, the Amazon is one of the locations in Colombia with the largest number of fires. "There is a very active colonization fronteir carrying out logging activities, deforestation and slash-and-burn for pasture production and agriculture. Burning the Amazon, in part, occurs near the settlements," reports Dolores. In Caquetá, where there is a greater concentration of settler population in the region, there is a high growth of crops and livestock.
Large fires occur mainly in the Orinoco region. However, the Amazon suffers greatly from small fires." One hectare of Amazonian forest has much more biomass than one hectare of savannah and emits many more greenhouse gases, not to mention the loss of species," said Vergel. According to CorpoAmazonia, droughts from only 2006-2007 caused 49,000 ha to be ruined. In the period from 2008-2009 there were between 11,000 ha destroyed and there are 6,500 ha accounted for in 2010-2011 - this decrease is due to high rainfall.
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Prevention and control
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"Recently, Colombia has launched a fire risk map that will give an idea, at the national level, the most susceptible areas of the country. The study will consider the coverage, temperature and frequency of events so that it can create warning systems in time for major disasters."
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According to Vergel, people do not take preventative measures to avoid the spread of fires. To do controlled burns it is necessary to analyze the type of coverage, prioritize the morning or late afternoon for this kind of activity. This is when the temperature is the lowest, the relative humidity is the highest and it is not too windy. It is also necessary to control the height and depth of the flame. "People need to raise awareness about the damage caused by fires and create warning systems that detect fires before they become too large, to have time to control them. We need people to get involved: national and local authorities, local communities as well as accident prevention systems, "said Fanny Mondragon, an official of the Ministry of Environment.
"We need to make programs to raise awareness about the value of ecosystems and reasons for protecting them, as well as understanding what purpose they serve. In order that they value and care for: the importance of water, air, soil productivity, the connection of fire with other phenomena such as avalanches and losing vegetation. The soil becomes unbalanced from the burns and when it rains, it cannot hold the water, "said Fanny.
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According to Verge, the Amazon is very sensitive to fire because it is a humid, tropical rainforest. A tree between 100 and 200 years old takes a long time to grow. "The soil is fragile and its richness is the result of the top soil it has. With fire, top soil loses its productive capacity, "he explains.
Increased risks from climate change
95% of the country's forest fires are caused by man, which influence phenomena such as climate change. During the season of El Niño (drought), which has increased both in frequency and intensity in the region, the intensity and frequency of forest fires also increase.
