Amazon fires: What about Bolivia?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49481710
27 August 2019. BBC News.

All eyes have been on the burning of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, as international pressure -
and sharp criticism - have been heaped upon its president.

But fires do not stop at borders, and Bolivia's rainforest is burning too. The Amazon sprawls for
millions of square miles across nine different countries - and Bolivia has seen fires rage across the
forest near its borders with Brazil and Paraguay. The size of the fires is estimated to have doubled
since Thursday. About one million hectares - or more than 3,800 square miles- are affected. Yet
while Brazil's President Bolsonaro has been trading rhetorical blows with world leaders over his
actions to protect the rainforest, little attention has been given to the blaze in Bolivia and its causes.

Bolivian President Evo Morales is in the midst of a controversial re-election campaign, having gone
to the courts to abolish term limits as he seeks a fourth time as the country's leader. Unlike his
Brazilian counterpart, he has decided to accept international help in fighting the fires - securing a
Boeing 747 "supertanker" from the US to drop water, and welcoming the offer of aid from the G7
summit at the weekend. Tweeting messages of solidarity and unity, Mr Morales said nothing was
more important than Mother Earth - "she can live without us, but we can't live without her", and
has suspended his election campaign for a week. But critics say this focus on environmentalism is a
sudden U-turn, at odds with his record.
Under Mr. Morales, policies have been changed to allow farmers to clear more land than before by
controlled burns - quadrupling the allowance from five to 20 hectares. The decree was only issued
last month.
Jhanisse Daza, an environmental activist who lives near the area, said she believes the fires may be
deliberate policy. "You have to understand that the use of controlled fires in August when we are
going through a dry season is not only negligence," she said. "I believe they knew what they were
doing."
"So there's a policy by the Morales government – although it shows itself internationally as being
incredibly environmental and supportive of environmental rights but their policy has been going
the complete opposite direction."

Similar accusations are levelled in Brazil, where most of the fires are believed to have been set
deliberately by farmers and other small groups who believe they will not face consequences under
Bolsonaro's government.

Aside from Mr Morales' pro-agriculture razing policy, his government has also been accused of
being slow to react when the fires first broke out, and said it would fight the fires itself without the
need for foreign aid.

Predictably, Evo Morales' rival for the presidency, Carlos Mesa, said the president's efforts had
come too late. "The government reacted late and poorly, it took them almost two weeks and they
were without a strategic plan. Evo Morales has put his campaign first rather than governing
Bolivia," he said.
Indigenous leaders have also voiced their criticism. Alex Villca, an indigenous leader in the Amazon
region and spokesman for the indigenous rights group Contiocap said that the government was to
blame for the fires. "We need to hold Evo Morales to account for this situation. When is he going
to account for all of this?
He needs to be held accountable for all the times that the rights of the indigenous people have
been violated, as well as those of mother nature," he said.
Progress is now being made, as some 2,000 firefighters and the military tackle the outbreaks - but
much damage has already been done.

Read and answer:

1) Which three social groups or individuals have criticized Evo Morales and Bolsonaro’s policies?
2) How many hectares of Amazon rainforest have been affected by the fires?
3) How are indigenous leaders demanding from the government?
4) What do you think are the reasons farmers would set fires deliberately?
5) In your own words explain Evo Morales’ tweet “"she can live without us, but we can't live
without her"
held accountable for all the times that the rights of the indigenous people have been violated, as well
as those of mother nature," he said.
Progress is now being made, as some 2,000 firefighters and the military tackle the outbreaks - but
much damage has already been done.
Read and answer:
1. Which three social groups or individuals have criticized Evo Morales and Bolsonaro’s policies?
2. How many hectares of Amazon rainforest have been affected by the fires?
3. How are indigenous leaders demanding from the government?
4. What do you think are the reasons farmers would set fires deliberately?
5. In your own words explain Evo Morales’ tweet “"she can live without us, but we can't live without
her"