‘The land will be left as ashes’: why Patagonia’s wildfires are almost impossible to stop
Funding cuts, conspiracy theories and ‘powder keg’ pine plantations have seen January’s forest fires tear through Chubut in southern Argentina
TL;DR
- Wildfires have destroyed over 36,000 hectares of native forests and villages in Patagonia since January 5.
- Environmentalists had warned about the danger of planting flammable foreign pine trees instead of native ones.
- Scientists attribute the extreme weather conditions to the climate crisis and reduced national fire-prevention budgets.
- President Javier Milei's government has significantly defunded the National Fire Management Service, impacting prevention efforts and aerial support.
- Firefighters are working in poor conditions with low salaries, and communities are forming their own brigades.
- The government has promoted conspiracy theories blaming Indigenous Mapuche people and Israelis for the fires, which are unsupported by evidence.
- The fires have significant long-lasting consequences for the biodiverse region, affecting housing, jobs, and health.