leopardusmdd OP t1_j4c0vt6 wrote on January 14, 2023 at 5:17 PM

Reply to comment by cookie_addicted in I’m an ecologist protecting 7400 acres of Amazonian rainforest and preventing wildlife trafficking. AMA! by leopardusmdd

We experience wildfires in the dry season due to agricultural practices. Farmers will set their land ablaze - it's the most efficient and economical way to clear large pieces of vegetation. Unfortunately, the fire can "skip" over to neighboring lands, and threaten the few intact forest patches that we do have in these areas. The issue is overall habitat destruction/deforestation - but in this particular case it's more an issue of fragmentation. The smaller the "island" of intact forest, the easier it is for fire to take it over. And of course fires have so many edge effects. Very sorry to hear about the issues in Chile -- it sounds similar to areas of the mountains here like Ayacucho, which still experience drug-related violence and land issues. :/

cookie_addicted t1_j4cgq0y wrote on January 14, 2023 at 7:00 PM

Yeah, the exact reason here, farmers cheap practice, is it possible to invent a safer way? And maybe government could give them some kind of incentive to not start a fire, like if you use this safer method, you can discount X amount of tax.