The fight against forest fires includes various fronts, even more so in episodes of high temperatures and little rainfall like the current ones. One of the contributions that citizens can (should) make in this case is to avoid the dumping of garbage in the natural environment (garbage) and contribute to the removal of this waste.
"The act of leaving garbage in nature, known as garbage, has a serious impact on the environment," recalls in this regard the Libera Project, from SEO/BirdLife in alliance with Ecoembes, coinciding with the celebration of Prevention Day of Fires (August 18). In addition to many other environmental damage caused by garbage, those responsible for the Libera project recall that "one of the consequences of this bad practice - the dumping or abandonment of waste - is that it can increase the risk of fires in natural areas."
According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), Spain has registered 329 forest fires so far this year. In this way, it accumulates 40% of the burned area of the EU and exceeds the average of 222 fires registered in the last 10 years.
Abandoning waste in nature can increase the risk of a forest fire. "A clear example would be the negligent abandonment of aerosols in natural areas, since they can explode when exposed to high temperatures, triggering a fire," Libera points out. Similarly, bottles or pieces of glass can act like a magnifying glass under the intensity of the heat, which can also lead to a fire. And you cannot forget the poorly extinguished cigarette butts, which represent a direct risk of fire.
The Reforesta association recalls in this sense that "poorly extinguished cigarettes burned more than 40,000 hectares of forest between 1999 and 2019 alone." For this reason, from Libera, a new appeal is made to tobacco users so that in this summer season they act responsibly, put out the cigarettes when finished and do not throw the butts on the ground.
One of the initiatives of the Libera Project to sensitize citizens in this area is the campaign
Last year was one of the most worrying in the history of Spain since 2008, but 2023 is not far behind. The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) estimates that 69,142 hectares have burned (as of August 10). The amount of surface affected by forest fires represents 40% of the total burned in the 23 countries of the European Union that have data provided by EFFIS. In addition, these fires cover approximately 87.5% of the hectares that have burned on average in Spain in the last 10 years.
For this reason, it is important to highlight that prevention and education are essential to reduce the possibility of forest fires caused by human activity. Respect for fire prevention regulations, awareness of the impact of human actions and responsibility in the use of fire are crucial to protect nature.
