MAS-sponsored groups that cause forest fires must be prosecuted | Grupos apadrinados por el MAS que provocan incendios forestales, deberán ser procesados

Unitel, Eju.tv:

Comité pro Santa Cruz calls for prosecution of interculturales and land invaders for forest fires

“It has been proven that the places where the fires start are the areas that have been invaded,” said the vice president of the civic entity, referring to the fact that the disaster declaration is late.

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In addition to the fire, smoke is another problem the department is facing

The majority of what’s burning are forests, not soy fields, nor lands belonging to farmers or business owners. People are setting fires to claim these lands,” denounced the second vice president of the Comité pro Santa Cruz, Leonardo Martínez, on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the institution’s first vice president, Stello Cochamanidis, stated that “the interculturales are the ones setting the fires,” and it has been proven that the places where fires start are the same areas being taken over, pointing to state institutions like the Autoridad de Bosques y Tierras (ABT) and the Instituto Nacional de Reforma Agraria (INRA).

“It has been proven that the places where fires start are the areas that are being taken over,” Cochamanidis said, demanding speed in the legal processes related to deforestation and burns that lead to the fires.

According to information from the Ministry of Environment and Water, as of now, it is estimated that 6.9 million hectares of forest fires and burns have occurred across the entire national territory.

This figure breaks down into 4.6 million hectares of affected forests and 2.3 million hectares of grasslands. The departments with the largest burn areas are Santa Cruz and Beni, according to the ministerial report.

Martínez also pointed out that there is a significant lack of aid and attention to the affected municipalities from the central government, noting that the Comité is also assisting regions affected by the fires, particularly in the Chiquitania region.

“We need real government willpower to fight and extinguish the fires, especially to show transparency and imprison all those who are setting the fires. Stricter measures are needed, and not a single person has been imprisoned for the environmental damage they are causing,” added Martínez.

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