The impacts of the 2023 wildfires on Tacana communities

In 2023, the Tacana Indigenous communities in Bolivia expected La Niña to bring floods but instead they faced wildfires that entirely devastated their livelihoods. Following the recent expansion of the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance's focus, Practical Action is working in Bolivia to increase resilience to wildfires, in addition to floods. We talked to Daniela Mamio, a community brigade member, to get an insight into the 2023 wildfires in Bolivia and the impacts that they had on the Tacana communities.

Several years turned to ashes

The capacity to control the 2023 wildfires in Bolivia was low. The municipal governments of San Buenaventura and Rurrenabaque allocated their resources to the fight, but capacities were exceeded as the hot spots multiplied, amplified by the winds that execerbated the fires and caused wider destruction to vulnerable populations. Following the wildfires, seven communities in the Tacana territory reported the loss of approximately fifty-seven hectares of farming systems that were established to provide food security, strengthen the economy and environment, as well as increasing resilience. Many communities had already rebuilt these systems following previous flood events. Now, after several years of rebuilding, these systems were turned to ashes.

We couldn't do anything. When we saw the plot burned, it was as if we had just arrived in the community. We had nothing as all our products had been burned. 

- Daniela Mamio, Community and Health Brigade member in San Buenaventura.

Water holes burned, forcing people to use dirty water, and leading to the increase of waste and health complications for children and the rest of the communities. Many people, Daniela included, were forced to stay behind to take care of their families and vulnerable people affected by conjunctivitis, stomach pain, diarrhea, and other conditions due to air and water pollution as a result of the wildfires. "There was a moment when the smoke became unbearable, and the women had to remain in the community due to the care roles they have" says Daniela.

From floods to fires

Daniela lives in the Capaina Indigenous territory in San Buenaventura and comes from a family of brigade leaders. Her father, Wenceslao Mamio, was the lead authority of this brigade for many years, including 2014, the year that Tacana faced Bolivia's worst floods in 60 years. She has followed in her father's footsteps to become a community and health brigade member.

Formed as part of Practical Action's work on flood resilience in Bolivia, the brigades did not have the knowledge to fight fires. Instead, they used the community base to organize themselves and work together to achieve timely first responses and evacuations during the 2023 wildfires.

Daniela recalls local people using manual fumigators and transporting water in drums and other makeshift containers as part of the first response. At first, the work of the brigades was preventative, supporting nearby communities that were on fire and trying to limit the spread. As the situation worsened, they were not able to avoid the fires causing widespread destruction to their crops.

Brigades training has helped us a lot and it will help us when we experience not only floods, but wildfires too. We can organize ourselves, evacuate the elderly, and save our lives and hopefully the community. 

- Daniela Mamio

Through the Alliance, Practical Action facilitates the strengthening of community brigades through field schools, first aid workshops and flood search and rescue. The Risk Management Unit in the Municipal Government of San Buenaventura (GAM), in collaboration with Practical Action, the Madidi National Park, FAO and the WSC, have begun preventative actions to increase resilience against wildfires. These include firefighting training, communication and information dissemination about wildfires and monitoring of heat sources. GAM is also training the community brigades to fight fires assigning days to dig trenches around the communities to increase preparedness against future wildfires.

Expanding our climate resilience focus

Growing threats posed by extreme heat, wildfires and increasingly destructive storms have prompted the Alliance to expand its work in Bolivia. As a member of the Alliance, Practical Action will focus on understanding and proposing coordinated actions against fires and floods in the municipalities of Rurrenabaque and San Buenaventura, among other municipalities with high vulnerability to these threats.

Through ongoing research and collaboration, Practical Action, through our work in the Alliance, seeks to better understand the impacts of wildfires and develop effective strategies that ensure a safer, more resilient future for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis and poverty.

Take a look at our country page to learn more about Practical Action's work in Bolivia.