Mexican Fire Catastrophe

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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

http://forests.org/

6/9/98

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by EE

The U.S. has labeled the blazes raging in Mexico as the "worst in the

world"--no doubt reflecting the correlation between being closest to

America and being of such importance. The truth is that virtually all

the world's forests are going up in flames to some extent--Indonesia,

Brazil, Mongolia, Philippines, and many other countries. This may be

the natural synthesis of universally more fragmented, human-impacted

forests, combined with global warming, playing itself out. Whatever

the cause, the prescription is to cut back on the level of intensity

of forest management, identify and protect core ecological areas, make

the resources available to improve tropical land management and

generally let forested lands rest and regenerate. Reduced forest

production is a small price to pay for maintenance of the biosphere.

g.b.

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Title: U.S. says Mexican fire disaster "worst in world"

Source: Reuters

Date: June 5, 1998

Byline: Timna Tanners

MEXICO CITY, June 5 (Reuters) - Raging forest fires in Mexico have

reached catastrophic proportions, ravaging virgin tropical jungles and

endangering the lives of firefighters, top U.S. officials said on

Friday.

Only the onset of rains will fully extinguish the flames, they said.

Even as Mexican and U.S. officials cooperate, marked by U.S.

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman's visit to southern blazes on

Thursday, the traditional "slash and burn"

farming method has set off new fires.

"This disaster in Mexico has to be the most serious of its kind in the

world, including Indonesia, and the most difficult to fight," U.S.

Agency for International Development (USAID) chief Brian Atwood said

at a breakfast with foreign reporters.

Only long overdue rains can snuff out the worst fires, and initial

sprinkles from the rainy season in recent days have yet to make a dent

in the most serious blazes, Atwood said.

Some 3,000 firefighters are tackling the flames, and about 60 have

died in the effort this year.

While tropical forests and jungles are usually too humid to burn, a

drought has left them vulnerable to fire. To make matters worse,

wildfires have produced huge quantities of smoke, foiling firefighting

efforts by blocking views and access to the blazes.

The U.S. officials lauded Mexican efforts to fight the forest fires

across the country.

"They're doing an outstanding job fighting this thing," Glickman said.

"The Mexican authorities in my judgment have dealt with this as well

as we would have done it."

The United States has sent $8 million of aid to Mexico since mid-May

after fires reached crisis proportions and sent smoke as far north as

Chicago and east to Miami.

On Thursday smoke wafting north from Mexico sent a black blanket over

Texas, once again prompting a health warning advising residents to

stay indoors.

Atwood also said the U.S. government has been concerned about

devastation to Mexico's southern tropical rainforests.

"Yet frankly we don't have the resources to deal with it adequately,"

Atwood added.

Officials said the international community needs to find ways to

reduce slash and burn farming techniques, in which farmers in

developing countries clear land for planting by setting setting

forests or brushland on fire, often letting them run out of control.

The situation was made worse this year by the unusually hot and dry

conditions caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

The United States sent a heavy-lift helicopter, an infrared camera and

other firefighting equipment after a May 15 disaster declaration in

conjunction with the Mexican government. More than 12,627 fires have

burned in Mexico since January with 144 large ones burning this week.

Despite the high-technology equipment, fires in remote jungle ravines

still force firefighters to trek for hours to arrive at the blazes,

Atwood said.

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