HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 18 (ACN) Human action accounts for about 90% of forest fires reported in the country, according to Colonel Manuel Lamas Gómez, chief of Cuba's Forest Ranger Corps.
Most human-caused fires of this kind result from cases of unauthorized burning of grass or cane, the use of vehicles without spark arrestors and poaching activity, as opposed to natural events such as lightning, high temperatures and other climate change-related phenomena, he added.
Regarding surveillance, despite the use of air and satellite detection equipment, the main strength is still the network of early-warning systems deployed in rural communities, to the point that the swift action of the forest rangers in recent years has prevented wildfires from destroying more than 5 hectares in 75% of the cases.
Current figures have it that Cuba registered 284 forest fires in 2022 that burned more than 1,800 hectares of land, fewer than in the previous two years. However, the solution lies not in the prohibition of using fire for agricultural purposes, but on the change of people’s irresponsible habits.
Human action, main cause of wildfires in Cuba
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