![]() When it comes to research, all the students in the group have our own theses, but we are a team, whose research and joint work contribute to our influence in decision-making. Dolors Armenteras, my PhD supervisor, listened to my suggestion and taught me and the rest of the group to organize ourselves and work collaboratively. Fortunately, my network of academic and family support allows me to raise my voice. Credit: Arturo Cortés How do you balance this advocacy work with your PhD commitments? The bill would also promote research to develop strategies for reducing the risk of wildfires, and encouraging ecological restoration, environmental rehabilitation and recovery of natural ecosystems affected by forest fires.įorest engineer María Constanza Meza Elizalde has helped to draft legislation to reduce wildfires. We designed a bill that recognizes both scientific and ancestral, traditional knowledge, while respecting ecological heritage and regulations for integrated fire management. We had the support of Congressman Mauricio Toro, who is a member of Colombia’s Green Alliance party, and his technical legislative staff. This is not true - citizens can propose them. The great challenge is to articulate scientific, local and institutional knowledge to guarantee a fire-management plan that will result in safe and resilient landscapes.People think that only legislators can make laws. How did you get involved in drafting fire legislation?īecause there were no public forums to talk about fires and develop strategies for reducing the risks, we began a dialogue with local communities about the problems and benefits of fires, while also involving non-governmental organizations, public entities, fire departments and national parks. Right now, there are no laws or conservation strategies in Colombia that recognize the ecological role of fire. This leads to forest degradation and to political decisions in which only the negative side of fire is seen.Ĭommunities living in fire-dependent ecosystems know how to reduce risks, but environmental authorities don’t recognize these practices. ![]() And climate change is affecting the wildfire dynamics.Īs a result, we are seeing changing patterns, with more frequent and intense wildfires in forest areas where they were not common before, and covering larger areas. Landscape-management decisions, very frequent burning or total fire suppression in the savannah are also factors. It’s an area of extensive savannahs, where the number of wildfires is increasing, mainly because of activities such as hunting, along with agricultural burning that gets out of control. I study the Orinoquía region, near the border with Venezuela. Why is there a need for a science-backed fire-management bill? With her adviser and other students in her research group, she’s been drafting and lobbying for legislation that aims to reduce fire risk overall, while recognizing diverse business and cultural practices related to fire. María Constanza Meza Elizalde is a forest engineer and PhD student at the National University of Colombia in Bogotá, where she researches fire ecology and conducts fieldwork in hard-to-reach areas with recurring fire problems. Wildfires are becoming more frequent in the Orinoquía region of Colombia.
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