Brushfires are Destructive to the Flora and Fauna

And while a vast part of Columbia Village is on fire currently, the rising temperatures are not helping the situation any.  Today, a news team headed out along a portion of the George Price Highway, and while there was no burning bush along the stretch leading to the Belize Zoo, they captured evidence of wildfires that swept through the area a week or two ago. Other areas that are still burning are in the Mountain Pine Ridge, and the smoke that has drifted this way makes visibility upon the horizon difficult. Marion Ali reports.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Today the brushes along the George Price Highway showed all the signs of fires that have burnt through several areas. Large tracts of land show parched trees and greenery that are left bare by the blaze that ripped through. The Forest Department trains non-government personnel on how to fight wildfires, the agriculture department tackles agricultural blazes, and the fire department deals with fires that threaten or burn property. Chief Forest Officer, John Pinelo says that if you have to light a bush fire in a rural setting, there are some specific dos and don’ts.

 

Via phone: John Pinelo Jr, Deputy Chief Forest Officer

“We recommend that you burn fires in the morning or in the evening if you need to burn. And if you’re going to do that, you need a fire line. You need to have clearance around your boundary so that it does not jump in somebody else’s property. Unfortunately, too often, people like their fires and they walk away and leave it and then it jumps into somebody else’s property. And that. Becomes the beginning of a wildfire that can recover on hundreds of acres, maybe thousands of acres. That is one of the major issues we have in the country right now. We have this tradition of burning bush before the rain comes so we can plant and that is what is exacerbating this issue. We’re already having this climate change problem. And we have people still burning and doing these types of activities for the environment. It is not good for the. Air people with allergies, people with asthma are heavily affected. It is bad for visibility.”

 

Pinelo says the degree of damage and losses that these wildfires cause to the environment is unnecessary and is preventable.

 

Via phone: John Pinelo Jr.

“It’s dangerous and not to mention the loss of biodiversity that we’re having not only the trees, but in the thousands and thousands of wildlife that are getting killed because of these fires. They can’t really leave for animals that can’t be their area. They get burnt, we lose all of that biodiversity because of all these fires.”

 

 

 

Today, the horizon near Gracie Rock was barely visible from the George Price Highway because of the tremendous amount of smoke that has been caused by wildfires. Aside from the poor visibility, the smoke also triggers respiratory issues. These are some of the experiences, aside from loss of property that villagers of Columbia are facing now.

 

Via phone: John Pinelo Jr.

“Right now in Columbia, there’s a huge wildfire burning people’s farms. Threatening hoses, because somebody started a fire here and it came to it until it was done. So now we have this major issue burning our forces are burning people’s houses down, burning their crops because of negligence.”

 

 

Anyone who wants to light a fire for agricultural purposes must get a permit from the Forest Department. Failure to provide evidence of this to the police can lead to arrests. Marion Ali for News Five.