Latin America’s Worst Forest Firestarter is Probably Bolivia’s Evo Morales

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – NASA’s satellite imagery is a clear indicator. It shows the widespread fires in South America, in the largest rainforest area in the world which has been shaking up world news for weeks.

But if one looks closer, it becomes clear that Brazil is by no means alone. Large wildfires are also raging in Peru and Paraguay, but most furiously in Bolivia, for a reason. On July 9th, Bolivia enacted a decree that not only permits but systematically promotes mass slash-and-burn clearing in the rainforest.

At a press conference, Bolivia’s president Evo Morales announced the fire campaign in an almost heroic gesture and was cheered by farmers. It is a right of the Bolivian people to make use of the soil for everyone, to “clear” the jungle.

That is why he proudly authorizes the “quema controlada” — controlled slash-and-burn. Bolivia would thus “grow economically, especially in agriculture.”

Since the decree, hundreds of large-scale fires have been ignited to convert the virgin forest into usable areas for agriculture. An enormous wall of fire is milling its way through eastern Bolivia and terrifying the local population.

Local opposition politicians are fruitlessly warning that the newspaper “El Deber” is raising the alarm and reporting that at least one million hectares of forest have been destroyed in recent days. Other sources even speak of 1.5 million hectares.

Calls for help are coming from east Bolivia’s Puerto Suarez and Chiquitania provinces. But whoever voices criticism will be targeted by the socialist regime in Bolivia.

Bolsonaro is the press’s favorite enemy

Evo Morales has skilfully managed to escape international criticism as the greatest rainforest firestarter. The catastrophe in Bolivia has been largely omitted from international reporting.

The media focus is almost exclusively on Brazil, where president Jair Bolsonaro is not a socialist but a right-wing populist. As a result, he is the sole target of criticism by the liberal world press.

And yet, socialist Bolivia is even more aggressive towards the rainforest. So aggressive, in fact, that the Roman Catholic church has now called for nationwide prayer.

They should insist on solidarity with the victims of the fires and call for a halt. The church in Bolivia has become the most powerful advocate of the protests and warns against the destruction of God’s creation.

The Archbishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Sergio Gualberti Calandrina, raises the alarm: “The fires are affecting all of Bolivia, national parks and environmental protection areas.”

The fire is causing tremendous damage in the Chiquitania and Chaco savannah regions, among others. The main victims of the destruction are the indigenous communities and bio-diversity.

Last Sunday the cleric proclaimed a “Day of Prayer” against the Amazon fires. His goal: “We must create an awareness of prudence of our common home.” Even the Vatican has published a dramatic appeal on Bolivia and specifically named decree 3973 as the catalyst of this catastrophe.

The new decree is intended to create space for cattle breeding

Decree 3973 is regarded by Morales as a socialist achievement, since it allows the clearing of large areas of forest in the Beni and Santa Cruz districts for the alleged benefit of the poor rural population. This is intended to create space for cattle breeding.

Morales sees slash-and-burn clearing as part of the class struggle to create equal rights for all. According to the Amazon Network RAISG, the Bolivian Amazon region has already lost several million hectares of forest between 2005 and 2018.

Now that the wall of fire is threatening to get out of control, he is accepting foreign fire-fighting aid into the country, such as the world’s largest fire-fighting watertanker aircraft.

But Morales is purposely sacrificing the rainforest for his planned re-election in October. Bolivia is in the middle of its presidential election campaign, and the socialist does not shy away from drastic measures.

After the end of his third term in office, he should have resigned, according to the Bolivian constitution. Nonetheless, to remain in office, he launched a controversial referendum on constitutional change — and was defeated.

A narrow majority said no to a constitutional amendment authorizing re-election. Morales should have resigned once and for all.

But somehow the referendum was declared null and void in the name of socialism. Morales justifies his renewed candidacy on a decision by the Bolivian Constitutional Court: to renounce his candidacy would violate the human rights of Evo Morales. An opposition leader commented: “He is an arsonist, both ecologically and politically.”