REPORTAGE

FOREST FIRES END THE WONDERFUL THINGS

OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Forest fires that occur in forests damage the habitat of some animals, destroy
plants and even hectares of entire forests, which is why more and more fauna
and flora are being destroyed every day.

A forest fire is a fire that spreads uncontrollably in forest land and affects
plant fuels. tree, shrub, scrub or herbaceous species, provided that they are not
characteristic of agricultural cultivation or are the subject of it and that they
are not classified as urban land, affecting this vegetation that was not intended
for burning.

FIRE PHASES

A fire has three distinctive phases: initiation, spread and extinction.

Initiation: it is the beginning of the fire produced by natural causes or mainly

by the action of man.

Propagation: it is the extension of the fire through the nearby vegetation.

Extinction: it is the ending of the fire due to natural causes (rain or lack of
vegetation) or due to human action (extinction work).

CAUSES
Although the immediate causes that give rise to forest fires can be very varied,
the same assumptions occur in all of them, that is, the existence of large
masses of vegetation in conjunction with more or less prolonged periods of
drought.

Solar heat causes dehydration in plants, which recover the water lost from the
substrate. However, when the soil humidity drops to a level below 30%, the
plants are unable to obtain water from the soil, so they gradually dry out. This
process causes the emission of ethylene into the atmosphere, a highly
combustible chemical compound present in vegetation. A double phenomenon
then takes place: both the plants and the air around them become easily
flammable, thus multiplying the risk of fire. And if the existence of periods of
high temperatures and strong or moderate winds is added to these conditions,
the possibility of a simple spark causing a fire becomes significant.

On the other hand, regardless of whether the physical conditions are more or
less favorable to a fire, it should be noted that in the vast majority of cases it is
not natural causes that cause the fire, but rather human action, whether
intentional or not.

The causes that cause a forest fire are therefore grouped into three main
categories:

Intentional: they represent 60-70% of cases. The motivations are varied, the
most common being by far the unauthorized, illegal and uncontrolled burning
of agricultural surfaces, either for the elimination of stubble or bushes
("agricultural burning") or for the regeneration of pastures.9 Other less
common motivations behind of an arson are pyromania, hunting uses,
vandalism, personal revenge, urban speculation, lowering the price of wood,
etc. It should be noted that the crime of arson is classified in many laws
(including Spanish).

Negligence and other accidental causes: represent 15%-25% of cases. In this

section, agricultural burning (in this case authorized, but in which the authors
lost control of the fire, spreading it over the adjacent forest area) are also
among the usual causes. Other causes are cigarette butts and poorly
extinguished bonfires, burning of garbage, forestry work, etc.

Natural: they represent less than 5% of cases. They are almost always due to
the action of lightning.

We can group these causes into four large groups:

-INTENTIONAL FIRES 70%

-NEGLIGENCE and other causes 25%

-NATURAL CAUSES 5%

causas

25 5
-INCENDIOS INTENCIONADOS
70%
-LAS NEGLIGENCIAS y otras
causas 25%
-CAUSAS NATURALES 5%

70

CONSEQUENCES

Fires are one of the causes that most affect the degradation of mountains and
nature in general.

The consequences of a fire are very negative and the man ultimately
responsible for many of them suffers consequences to the extent that basic
elements for his subsistence such as air, soil, the economy and others that we
are going to analyze are affected.

ABOUT THE FLORA

A fire can cause the tree cover to disappear or it tends to degenerate because
the flames destroy the trees or do not allow them to develop properly.

Fires end up eliminating the most sensitive or poorly adapted plants, such as
ash, oak, yew and beech.

Fires weaken the trees that survive and leave many dead residues that will be a
future source of diseases and pests that will affect forest masses. The decrease
in forest masses as a direct consequence of fire or indirectly through pests or
diseases, affects photosynthesis, reducing the process of carbon dioxide
absorption and oxygen emission.

ABOUT THE FAUNA

Fire breaks the balance of ecosystems, negatively impacting the fauna that is
part of it.

Thus, the fire will cause a shortage of food, shelter and other conditions
necessary for the maintenance of fauna. Flames affect animals in various
ways, depending on their mobility and their habitat.

On the other hand, those with low mobility (reptiles, amphibians) or the very
young will die because they cannot escape.

ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE

The use of fire to create grasslands has contributed to the modeling, in the last
2000-3000, of mountain areas (Cantabrian mountain range, Montes de León,
etc.)

It is thought that fire, along with other factors, has been the main cause of the
disappearance of trees in many areas of Castile and Leon. Burned areas lose a
lot of landscape value.

ON THE FLOOR
The most significant changes that occur in the soil are the appreciable increase
in pH that makes the germination and development of certain species difficult.
In fires the surface of the ground becomes very high. If the fire is light, the
temperature does not exceed 55ºC. If it is very intense, the heat penetrates
much further, drying and destroying organic matter up to 10 centimeters.

One of the most important consequences on the soil is to increase erosion.

The disappearance and death of vegetation accelerates the erosion process as a

natural barrier to floodwaters disappears.

ABOUT THE WATERS

The water in the burned basins

becomes cloudy with ashes and does
not allow sunlight to pass through to
aquatic plants, altering their
photosynthetic processes.

The high concentration of solid

substances also causes alterations in the respiratory system of aquatic fauna.

ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERE

The emission of gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, carbon

monoxide, etc.) is significant, generating large forest fires in large forested
areas that are essential for their contribution to the greenhouse effect. Smoke
accompanies the winds and can affect the population in cities, as well as the
visibility of traffic, not only on land but also in the air, potentially causing
accidents.

ABOUT THE ECONOMY

The mountain produces Renewable Natural Resources such as: wood, fruits,
game, firewood, cork, resin mushrooms, grasses, etc.
When a forest is an important part of the town's economy and is cared for and
maintained, there are hardly any fires like in the pine forests of the Iberian
System.

ABOUT THE POPULATION

Forest fires cause great environmental and economic damage.

Man also suffers the unfortunate consequences of the people, their economies
are harmed by losing part of their income due to a decrease in agricultural and
forestry production, sometimes very important for their survival. Fire also
produces accidents every year that, on the most dramatic occasions, cause the
loss of human life. Both the Administration and citizens are involved in this
task and both cooperate so that forest fires cease to be an environmental
problem.

PREVENTION

Social awareness, with the purpose of educating the population in the rational
use of fire, avoiding risk situations. It can be done through information
campaigns and periodic penalty payments.

The care and planning of forest masses and forests, through the creation of
firebreaks and a planned and extensive network of forest tracks.

The periodic cleaning of forests through appropriate silvicultural work.

The introduction into delimiting strips of species with low fuel power.

Conducting preventive burning (prescribed burning) during periods of low fire

risk.

All of these measures help reduce the speed of spread and virulence of a
potential fire.

HISTORICAL TEXT

The oil spill that occurred on August 18, 2012 at the Cuyabeno 8 well, in the
province of Sucumbios, has once again dyed the lagoons of the Cuyabeno
Faunistic Reserve black, a place of immense biological value for having 14
unique ecosystems in the country and some of them unique in the world, for
being considered one of the richest areas in fish species; for having a high
endemism of birds and for being a refuge for migratory birds from the
American continent. The lagoons and rivers of the Cuyabeno are home to
fauna characteristic of the freshwater ecosystems of the Amazon, many of
them on the verge of extinction, such as the pink or bufeo dolphin, the
manatee or sea cow, as well as the giant otter.

This spill is one of the biggest disasters we have experienced, the damage is
incalculable and irreversible without taking into account that one of the most
beautiful landscapes in the country has been destroyed. But, unfortunately, not
even with these facts do we learn, the Chinese oil company, Andespetrol,
operator of the Tarapoa field, is processing the necessary permits to drill
exploratory wells within the Cuyabeno Reserve. This company that belongs to
the CNPC, which has the worst environmental record in the world, also
operates in blocks 14 and 17 within the Yasuní National Park and within the
Yasuni intangible area, at this site it is also processing the environmental
license to carry out the seismic survey within this protected area.

And as if that were not enough, this Chinese company is also behind the
concession of the ITT project within the Yasuní Park.

We believe that it is not enough to say that this spill is an attack, lately when
spills have occurred all the operating companies say that it is an attack,
obviously with this they disclaim responsibility. Whether it was an attack or
not, that will be determined by the police investigations, but what is clear is
that the Cuyabeno presents all the characteristics for a spill to be caused by an
attack, negligence, old facilities or whatever the cause. causes irreparable and
unforgivable damage.

BINNACLE

Day 1
DATE
April 4, 2013

ACTIVITY

Memory and analysis of booklet 3

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY

Analyze and understand the content of booklet 3 (children's rights)

Investigate the rights and duties of children, and also consult the various articles mandated
by law.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ACTIVITY

Analyze and understand the contents of the previous primers in order to continue studying
the other primers

DURATION TIME

2:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

MATERIALS

Predisposition

I respect

Stake

Collaboration

PLACE WHERE IT TOOK PLACE

At the high school

LEARNINGS ACHIEVED

I learned the rights and duties that each person has.

Work as a team to achieve creative and extraordinary work