Bolivia has been grappling with an alarming rise in wildfires, as the latest incident report indicates a new fire alert in the Tarija Department. This adds to the growing environmental concerns, as data over the past two decades shows a significant loss of tree cover in the country. The tree cover extent, which once stood at over 64 million hectares, has seen a net loss of 3.90 million hectares, marking a decrease of approximately 6% in tree cover stability.
The primary driver of tree cover loss has been identified as shifting agriculture, accounting for a substantial portion of the deforestation. This practice alone has resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of hectares each year, with a notable peak in 2020 when over 207,000 hectares were affected. Forestry activities and wildfires have also contributed to the loss, although to a lesser extent. In 2022, wildfires were responsible for over 1,300 hectares of tree cover loss.
Explore country profileThe environmental impact of these losses is significant, with millions of metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions released into the atmosphere, exacerbating climate change concerns. The data underscores the urgency for sustainable land management practices and the need to address the root causes of wildfires and deforestation in Bolivia.
