CAF Supports Program for a Fire-Free Amazon in Bolivia

(La Paz, Dec. 20, 2012).- In order to reduce the incidence of forest fires in the Bolivian Amazon region, CAF –development bank of Latin America– awarded grants to the Program for a Fire-Free Amazon Without Fire (PASF), in support of the National Program on Climate Change (PNCC). By implementing alternative practices to the use of fire, the project will contribute to protecting the environment and improving the living conditions of rural communities.

The Program –which also obtained funding from Italy and Brazil’s aid agencies– will be launched through a non-refundable cooperation agreement signed by CAF President Enrique García and Bolivian Environment and Water Minister of Environment José Antonio Zamora in La Paz.

"CAF’smission is to support quality development in its shareholder nations, which can only be possible if it is based on the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources,” said Mr. García after signing the agreement. “The Program for a Fire-Free Amazon Without is part of this goal as it seeks to balance forest preservation and farming.”

The increased use of slash-and-burn techniques for land clearance and arable land expansion –a widespread practice in the Bolivian livestock and farming sectors– has caused an average annual loss of 300,000 hectares (around 741,000 acres) of primal forests since 2007 and more than 6 million hectares (14.8 million acres) of secondary forests in the past 30 years. Hot spots have increased by up to 400% in recent years.

According to data obtained from hot-spot monitoring, a study conducted by Bolivia’s Forest Resources Department showed there were 220,812 fires of varying size in 2000-2010. This represents almost 26 million hectares (64 million acres) of burned or deforested land in the provinces of Beni, Cochabamba, La Paz, Santa Cruz and Tarija.

The PASF will run for three years in 39 Amazon basin municipal districts, covering a wide area of the Santa Cruz, Beni and Northern La Paz provinces. According to the 2001 Census, more than 1.6 million people live in these municipalities.

This program was successful in the Brazilian Amazon, where it was implemented with support from the Italian Government. Officials are planning to replicate this project in other countries to preserve forests in the region.