Francisco Asturias: “Fires in Peten are provoqued”
Francisco Asturias, Director of the Río Azul Dos Lagunas park, in the north of Guatemala, and renowned conservationist and defender of wildlife, states that the fires that plague the Centralamerican country are provoqued by people with particular interests.
“Farmers and invaders of the protected areas, they are the main responsible for the fires for either illegally expand their properties or to distract authorities”, he said. Asturias, and the National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP), state that “99% of the fires are provoqued”.
Asturias adds that “what happens here is totally different from United States natural parks. A lightning can start a fire, but here (people) use them to expanding their livestock.” He also said that this fires could be used as a distractor from illegal groups. “While the government is busy with coronavirus, who is investigating about the looting of wood in Paxbán?.”
About this, Asturias claims that his team has found “suspicious activity” from large groups of people at the border areas between Guatemala, Belize and Mexico, because the efforts of the authorities that are focused on the pandemic.
Lack of staff and expertise
La temporada de incendios en Guatemala suele ser devastadora, en parte al poco personal con el que se cuenta. Foto: CONRED
All this adds to a series of limitations that, historically, Guatemala has had when it comes to safeguarding its natural resources, mainly in the north of the country. Wood, archaeological remains or land for livestock and agriculture, these are some of the objectives of those who destroy forests.
The archeologist claims that the Guatemalan State does not have qualified personnel to solve these situations. “Decisions are made by people who do not know the situation, and who don’t even know the area. If they don’t know the area they don’tt know the problem,” he complains.
The director of Biotope Río Azul-Dos Lagunas also shows frustration regarding the resources that should be use for protecting and conservation of nature, are deviated to fight the forest fires.
He informed that between 17 and 20 fires forest at the area of the Mayan Reserve Biosphere (MRB), are being attended by forestry brigades of local communites, but he reported five big fires that are a threaten to destroy the biosphere. “There are active five fires with the potential of cosume all of the MRB. We are going to have to invoke all the gods to help us put out tose fires.” he regreted.
Short and long term solutions
Según Asturias, el Estado de Guatemala debe de invertir más recursos en capacitar y equipar a las brigadas forestales. Foto: CONRED
Francisco Asturias, who in his entire life has dedicated his professional life to conserve nature in Guatemala, says that are a few solutions that can be included in our daily life.
Mainly to provide resources to the institutions responsible for the safety of our natural areas as the National Council of Protected areas (CONAP). With prevention as the key, it should be a team assigned to execute this task from the Army and National Police (PNC).
Long term, he refers to removing farmers and invaders from the protected areas, even to reduce the agricultural border and grazing land for ranchers at the closes areas to the MRB and Laguna del Tigre in Peten. “The day the law protects these areas it will be more difficult for them to be destroyed” Asturias concluded.