Patagonia fires in Los Alerces National Park
Two major wildfires in Argentina’s Patagonia region have burned at least 21,000 hectares of forest and grassland in and around Los Alerces National Park in Chubut province.
Mongabay reported that the fires broke out in January, threatening parts of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Los Alerces National Park spans more than 259,000 hectares and contains the alerce tree (Fitzroya cupressoides), a cypress that can live for more than 3,600 years.
It is also home to species including the monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides) and the Magellanic woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus).
NASA satellite readings put one fire starting on 5 January in the southern part of the park between the Rivadavia, Futalaufquen and Menéndez lakes.
A second fire broke out on hillsides in the north.
The cause of the fires remained unclear in the reporting, with the prosecutor’s office reportedly confirming one of them was set intentionally.
Around 3,000 residents and tourists were evacuated.
Smoke and fire reportedly spread beyond the park and came close to National Route 40, causing road closures and traffic delays.
A social media post from park officials said high temperatures, low humidity and “constant wind” would continue to be risk factors in the park.
The fires had not been completely extinguished at the time of reporting.
Budget cuts and agency capacity
Environmental groups and analysts have linked the response and prevention challenges to reduced funding and staffing for environmental programmes.
Greenpeace Argentina said: “We demand that the national government and the provinces provide more prevention, firefighters and infrastructure to respond quickly to fires, and penalize the destruction of forests.”
Mongabay cited a financial analysis by the Foundation for Environment and Natural Resources (FARN) which said the environment undersecretariat’s budget shrank by 79.4% between 2023 and 2024.
The same analysis said the National Fire Management Service lost 81% of its budget.
It said the National Fund for the Enrichment and Conservation of Native Forests had no spending for the year.
Greenpeace reported that the National Parks Administration has 400 firefighters and said the minimum should be 700.
Those firefighters were described as covering around 5 million hectares.
Manuel Jaramillo, director of the Wildlife Foundation of Argentina, told Mongabay: “Generally, at the political level, fire begins to be a topic of conversation when there is already a declared fire and when it has reached such magnitude that it has become a public issue.
“There is a lot of preparation, a lot of concern to be able to improve coordination.”
Hernán Giardini, coordinator of Greenpeace’s forests campaign, said: “The climate crisis demands preparation for an increase in fires, and political leaders must stop denying or underestimating this situation.”
The article also reported that Chubut Secretary of Forests Abel Nievas called the incident the “worst environmental tragedy in 20 years.”