Aug 23, 2019
The Amazon Fires Hit Home… Everywhere
By Daniela Pogliani
The Amazon rainforest, an area of 2,100,000 squares miles, is the largest tropical rainforest on Earth, home to hundreds of thousands of species — and it’s burning. Forests provide medicines, food and raw materials, not just to the communities around them, but to communities around the world. They also contribute to services we so often take for granted, like the air that we breath and the water we drink.
What happens in the rainforest, especially, with tree clearing, has a direct consequence on the changes in climate patterns, which can mean extreme events like floods, drought, storms, severe heat or extreme cold, only to mention a few.
With increasingly high rates of deforestation, especially in Brazil, where, despite denial from President Bolsonaro, tree cutting has risen 88% in 2019 vs 2018[1], the future is looking gloomy.
Now, imagine, the Amazon forest, roughly the size of India and Denmark put together, devastated by fires. This is what is happening right now.
Fires do occur during the dry season in the Amazon, but this year Brazil alone is experiencing an 84% rise in the number of detected fires, compared to the same period in 2018.[2]
These fires are commonly believed to be human-driven fires, started to illegally clear land for other uses such as cattle ranching or for large-scale crops (such as soy).There has been deliberate inaction by the Government and a rather alarming attempt to blame others for these purposeful fires.
High profile scientists, research centers, international and local NGOs, indigenous groups and citizen movements, among others, have been working together for decades to study, document, protect and support the Amazon in an attempt to preserve it for future generations and with the clear aim of contributing to human well-being. Current efforts to preserve the Amazon include programs dedicated to land protection, advancing indigenous rights and land titling, sustainable development initiatives, land-use planning, good governance, environmental education and more.
From my work in conservation, I am involved with organizations that work to enhance scientific knowledge related to sustainable use of the land in the Amazon, to promote forest conservation, and to propose sustainable and environmentally-friendly economic initiatives. I know that conservation and development are not opposing ideas, and should be advanced together to create sustainable progress.
We might feel helpless in front of devastating forest fires happening thousands of miles away, but there are many ways to help and contribute to a better future.
Value the free services you receive from Nature, save water, embrace alternative energies, use your car less, reduce consumption of non-recyclable good, recycle and reuse where possible, buy organic, choose locally-grown food, eat less meat, raise your voice against injustices, share news, organize your community, teach young people the importance of a healthy environment, support organizations working directly on the ground, donate, and volunteer.
There is no effort too small when it comes to saving our future.
The Earth is our common home, and each one of us can play her part in making it thrive.
[1] Official data of the INPE, Brazil National Institute of Space Research
[2] INPE, Brazil National Institute of Space Research
This piece is written by VVLead Fellow and VV100 Member Daniela Pogliani, Latin American Manager for the World Agrofroestry Center (ICRAF). The opinions expressed int his piece are Daniela’s and do not necessarily reflect those of ICRAF.
About Daniela Pogliani
Daniela Pogliani, Italian by nationality, has lived and worked in the United Kingdom and Peru for over two decades. She is the Latin American Manager for the World Agrofroestry Center (ICRAF), a center of science and development excellence that harnesses the benefits of trees for people and the environment. Previously, she served as the Executive Director of Conservación Amazónica-ACCA, a Peruvian nongovernmental organization working to protect biodiversity in the Amazon, using science and education. She has more than 17 years of professional experience in project administration, management and finance in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors in Europe and Latin America. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and works in an environment where biologists, engineers and field scientists have taught her a new way to look at and understand the world outside figures and balance sheets. Since university, she has devoted her professional career investigating options to develop sustainable business practices to foster conservation and human well-being. She believes sustainable, inclusive and circular businesses are the key to ensure a better future for everyone. As the mother of two young boys, she likes to keep her mind active and has learned to rely on multicultural approaches to strengthen her negotiation and learning skills.
