On her first journey to Bolivia in January, Jane Park walked about 20 kilometers with nationwide park rangers to a steep, distant space with endangered palm timber and the Andes, or spectacled bear.
A lot of the world in ANMI-El Palmar, one of many nation’s protected areas, was burned in a wildfire.
“A variety of areas the place they battle fires are extraordinarily distant,” Park stated in a current interview from Banff, Alta.
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Park, who’s on unpaid go away from her common job as a fireplace and vegetation specialist in Banff Nationwide Park, is one in every of two Alberta consultants who’re spending a part of their low season serving to the Bolivian authorities put together for a rise in fires as a consequence of local weather change.
It’s a part of International Affairs Canada’s technical help partnership, which permits Canadians from various backgrounds to share their experience in different international locations.
Park got here throughout the chance on-line and received the contract, which started with the journey to Bolivia in January to tour 5 of the nation’s protected areas.
The trek to El Palmar, an built-in administration pure space, was the identical route park rangers took when the hearth began.
“It is wonderful,” Park says. “They stroll monumental distances. They’re native folks, they’re used to excessive altitudes and they’re extraordinarily match.
“However in the event you think about that even the strongest rangers take a number of hours to stroll into a fireplace, the quantity of fireplace development that might happen throughout that point after which the challenges that include preventing it with out plane or with out first rate water sources , it’s all the more difficult.”
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Park added that the rangers put on transportable water blasting fits and use machetes to battle the fires.
“In Canada, we now have easy accessibility to airplanes and water,” she stated. “So, there are undoubtedly some fascinating and really difficult situations that folks must work with down there.
“We’ve got to ensure we match what we practice to their actuality.”
Park, who returned to Bolivia this week, stated she helps environmental departments enhance their administration practices and construct capability to answer these fires.
“It is every thing from prevention, suppression, administration of wildfires, communication, monitoring.”
Bolivia’s protected areas have excessive biodiversity, however wildfires – as a consequence of drought and longer hearth seasons attributable to local weather change – have threatened them.
International Forest Watch says the nation misplaced 1.6 million hectares of tree cowl in fires from 2001 to 2021. Some research have proven that wildfires are one of many greatest threats to endangered and threatened chicken species.
Because the fires get longer, larger and extra frequent, Park stated extra companies are serving to the park service — whether or not it is neighborhood volunteers, firefighters or the navy.
“The park rangers, as a result of they’re essentially the most skilled, find yourself having to information these individuals who could also be much less skilled,” Park stated. “They want extra coaching in the right way to lead assets and lead individuals who could not have the identical degree of expertise as them.”
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Whereas Park helps to coach these rangers, one other Alberta knowledgeable is working with the Bolivian navy.
Mike Could, a senior wildfire specialist, stated the navy has shaped a job power that features members of the Military, Navy and Air Drive to answer emergencies in areas such because the Bolivian Amazon.
Could, who signed his contract as a “aspect hustle” along with his common job, additionally visited Bolivia for per week in January to conduct a wants evaluation and can return this month to supply the coaching.
“There’s not lots of funding obtainable to them,” he stated in an interview from Hinton, Alta. “They’ve some instruments — perhaps to not the extent that we now have in Canada. We’re very completely happy up right here.”
Could, who beforehand offered his experience in South Africa and Australia, stated he was going to coach a bunch of navy personnel to then practice the frontline troopers to assist battle the fires.
“The hope is … to start out them on the suitable path to allow them to construct their wildland hearth program throughout the navy,” he stated.
Could stated he and Park acknowledge a necessity for some cross-agency coaching, which they may even present.
“It is at all times distinctive and engaging to have the ability to go to totally different companies and jurisdictions to see how they handle wildfires,” Could stated. “I’ve little question that I can take good classes residence from Bolivia.”
He stated he felt lucky to have the chance and provide of his experience.
“We’re Canadian,” Could added, “and we simply need to assist folks.”
© 2023 The Canadian Press
