Costa Rica today presented the 2021 campaign: “A summer without forest fires”, with the aim of reinforcing prevention efforts against these incidents in the dry season. Promoted by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae) and the National System of Conservation Areas (Sinac) and the support of the Government of Canada, the 2021 campaign warns that illegal burning and climate change threaten to turn natural heritage into smoke and ashes. For this reason, it maintains, we must all collaborate so that fires do not occur and thus preserve our natural treasures.
In the presentation of “A summer without forest fires”, the Deputy Minister of the Environment, Franklin Paniagua, highlighted that these accidents constitute one of the main contributions to carbon emissions in the world and particularly in tropical areas of countries such as Colombia, Brazil and Peru.
Team effort
Central America also suffers from this disease, he noted. However, he added, Costa Rica reduces these events year after year, thanks to the effort and particular work of the Sinac forest firefighters team, which has the support of Minae.
For his part, the executive director of Sinac, Rafael Gutiérrez, assured that with this series of dissemination and communication actions at the national level they seek to make the population aware of the damages and effects caused by forest fires.
We need these prevention messages to reach all citizens, because – he stressed – there are still March and April left, which are the two strongest months of the fire season in the country, where a simple carelessness or inappropriate action can have serious consequences.
International cooperation
The Canadian Ambassador to Costa Rica, James Hill, praised his country’s commitment to protecting the environment and cooperating between countries to combat climate change. “The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires highlights the enormous risks we face and the need to act with determination and responsibility,” Hill said.
