00:00:36.336 --> 00:00:39.131
As a mom,

00:00:39.156 --> 00:00:41.842
I always thought I would leave
things better for my children,

00:00:41.934 --> 00:00:46.313
and I think this is the
best way of doing it.

00:00:46.397 --> 00:00:49.316
It all started with
a few donations.

00:00:49.400 --> 00:00:54.655
We'd brought 20 barrels
of water and 30 fire fighters,

00:00:54.738 --> 00:00:56.866
including beginners.

00:00:56.949 --> 00:00:59.743
One of the young
men was very tired.

00:00:59.827 --> 00:01:04.707
I took his backpack and went in,
and that's how it all started.

00:01:04.790 --> 00:01:07.793
I'm forty and have three kids.

00:01:07.877 --> 00:01:10.296
I'm diabetic and overweight.

00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:13.799
Even so, I can and
must do these things.

00:01:19.221 --> 00:01:22.141
It's a somber
ranking for Bolivia.

00:01:22.193 --> 00:01:24.271
The country is
among the top three

00:01:24.296 --> 00:01:26.812
deforested countries worldwide.

00:01:26.895 --> 00:01:30.140
About 70 percent of
Bolivia's old-growth forests

00:01:30.165 --> 00:01:31.817
have already been lost,

00:01:31.901 --> 00:01:34.945
often to increasingly
intense wildfires.

00:01:36.739 --> 00:01:39.825
Since a record-breaking
year in 2019,

00:01:39.950 --> 00:01:43.495
over 22 million hectares
have gone up in flames.

00:01:49.084 --> 00:01:53.631
At my first forest fire, we
were surrounded by forest.

00:01:54.506 --> 00:01:57.009
Thirty-meter-high
trees were burning,

00:01:57.051 --> 00:01:59.553
from bottom to top.

00:02:01.180 --> 00:02:03.265
There’s an intense smoke.

00:02:04.975 --> 00:02:07.186
My eyes started burning.

00:02:07.937 --> 00:02:11.357
Everywhere I looked,
all I saw was fire.

00:02:12.024 --> 00:02:16.153
Everyone was tired,
and we were out of water.

00:02:16.237 --> 00:02:18.203
I was so scared,

00:02:18.228 --> 00:02:21.158
I started singing
a song from The Jungle Book.

00:02:21.242 --> 00:02:26.914
Look for the bare necessities,
the simple bare necessities,

00:02:26.997 --> 00:02:30.209
forget about your
worries and your strife.

00:02:30.292 --> 00:02:34.421
All the others started
singing with me.

00:02:34.505 --> 00:02:38.175
And it made the tension
and fear disappear.

00:02:38.259 --> 00:02:41.720
It took us five to six
hours to put out the fires.

00:02:41.804 --> 00:02:44.431
When we came back,
it was burning again.

00:02:44.515 --> 00:02:46.976
It's like people
do it on purpose.

00:02:47.059 --> 00:02:51.772
It makes you wonder
how people can possibly

00:02:51.855 --> 00:02:54.817
destroy the place
that gives them life.

00:02:59.321 --> 00:03:00.447
Let’s go.

00:03:00.447 --> 00:03:01.671
Carmiña is a member

00:03:01.695 --> 00:03:04.285
of the volunteer fire
brigade Jenecherú.

00:03:05.077 --> 00:03:07.746
They receive no financial
support from the government,

00:03:07.830 --> 00:03:08.871
so every day,

00:03:08.895 --> 00:03:12.042
the night shift takes
to the streets to raise funds.

00:03:13.252 --> 00:03:15.045
Well, guys, time to
get our act together.

00:03:15.045 --> 00:03:16.839
Ask nicely and get it big.

00:03:17.381 --> 00:03:21.176
We need to raise
at least 400 pesos.

00:03:21.385 --> 00:03:24.513
We should move, smile,
talk, sing, dance and enjoy.

00:03:26.515 --> 00:03:28.934
At the busiest toll booth
on the edge of the city,

00:03:29.310 --> 00:03:32.062
Carmiña's voice rises
above the roaring engines.

00:03:32.313 --> 00:03:34.273
A constant chant for support.

00:03:35.733 --> 00:03:39.445
Hi. Got any change for
the volunteer firefighters?

00:03:39.528 --> 00:03:41.447
Thank you. Take care.

00:03:41.530 --> 00:03:45.284
Got any change for the
volunteer firefighters?

00:03:45.367 --> 00:03:48.829
Thank you, sir.
Have a good trip.

00:03:48.912 --> 00:03:51.623
Thank you, sir. All the best.

00:03:52.708 --> 00:03:54.043
Comrade.

00:03:56.795 --> 00:04:01.550
After three hours, the group
has collected just 280 pesos.

00:04:01.967 --> 00:04:03.099
It’s far from enough,

00:04:03.302 --> 00:04:06.430
but their passion keeps
them fighting despite the odds.

00:04:07.181 --> 00:04:10.726
Around 1:00 PM, we were told

00:04:10.809 --> 00:04:15.481
that there's a big
fire at the airport.

00:04:15.564 --> 00:04:19.109
Every year, the grasslands burn.

00:04:19.485 --> 00:04:21.737
Good afternoon. Fire brigade.

00:04:21.820 --> 00:04:23.864
May I? Thank you.

00:04:25.866 --> 00:04:28.827
It's very dry,
with a lot of wind.

00:04:28.911 --> 00:04:33.040
An entire hectare can burn
completely in two seconds.

00:04:34.208 --> 00:04:35.417
Okay.

00:04:39.588 --> 00:04:40.589
Let me help.

00:04:44.885 --> 00:04:46.804
The blaze at Viru Viru airport

00:04:46.828 --> 00:04:49.390
marks the official
start of fire season.

00:04:50.091 --> 00:04:51.162
Grasses, leaves,

00:04:51.194 --> 00:04:54.228
and fallen trees
dry up after the last rains,

00:04:54.228 --> 00:04:56.230
forming a thick layer of fuel.

00:04:57.231 --> 00:05:00.067
The heat and strong winds
create a dangerous cocktail

00:05:00.150 --> 00:05:03.195
and small fires quickly
spiral out of control.

00:05:04.613 --> 00:05:07.116
I wanted to go
there, but I can't.

00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:11.286
Do we need more further ahead?
- I'll check.

00:05:12.413 --> 00:05:16.500
In 2023, over 3 million hectares
of forest and grasslands

00:05:16.583 --> 00:05:17.918
were reduced to ash.

00:05:18.967 --> 00:05:21.820
Many of these fires start from
slash-and-burn agriculture

00:05:21.845 --> 00:05:23.273
that goes awry.

00:05:26.093 --> 00:05:28.049
I’m heading to the
Santa Cruz province,

00:05:28.073 --> 00:05:30.806
which has been the hardest
hit over the past decade,

00:05:30.889 --> 00:05:31.932
to investigate.

00:05:57.207 --> 00:06:00.252
We start the fire into the wind.

00:06:00.335 --> 00:06:04.131
You must be careful
not to let the fire run wild.

00:06:04.840 --> 00:06:07.134
We'll clear a path here.

00:06:10.429 --> 00:06:13.265
What's the wind direction?
- Southerly.

00:06:13.599 --> 00:06:17.060
Then we can start
burning, buddy.

00:06:18.520 --> 00:06:21.064
In the Indigenous
territory of Lomerío,

00:06:21.148 --> 00:06:24.485
local firefighters
don't just put out fires.

00:06:24.568 --> 00:06:27.613
They also assist villagers
in safely burning their fields.

00:06:28.322 --> 00:06:29.990
There, please. Go that way.

00:06:30.073 --> 00:06:33.660
Make sure the fire
doesn't build momentum.

00:06:38.040 --> 00:06:41.210
Many small-scale farmers resort
to slash-and-burn agriculture,

00:06:41.293 --> 00:06:44.505
known as el chaqueo,
out of economic necessity.

00:06:45.171 --> 00:06:46.648
They clear all vegetation

00:06:46.673 --> 00:06:49.343
with a machete and
then burn the green waste.

00:06:49.927 --> 00:06:50.928
It's hard work,

00:06:51.011 --> 00:06:52.971
but widespread
poverty in Bolivia

00:06:53.055 --> 00:06:55.557
leaves many families
with no other option.

00:06:58.101 --> 00:07:02.898
If you want to rent a machine,
you must pay per hour,

00:07:02.981 --> 00:07:05.817
but people don't
have money for that.

00:07:06.985 --> 00:07:08.862
The weather is scorching hot,

00:07:08.946 --> 00:07:11.448
and the heat from the
flames makes it even worse.

00:07:11.949 --> 00:07:14.785
I feel dizzy but must
constantly stay alert,

00:07:14.785 --> 00:07:17.246
because the fire can
turn on us in an instant.

00:07:19.748 --> 00:07:22.793
If it stays like this,
it's dangerous.

00:07:22.876 --> 00:07:24.670
Later, in an hour or so,

00:07:24.753 --> 00:07:29.550
the fire will flare up and
become active again.

00:07:36.098 --> 00:07:40.143
Sometimes it's very
difficult to get water here.

00:07:40.227 --> 00:07:43.522
The roads aren't great,

00:07:43.605 --> 00:07:47.067
so it's difficult to
transport water here.

00:07:47.150 --> 00:07:51.530
Sometimes we need
to go get more water,

00:07:51.613 --> 00:07:54.992
and in the meantime the
fire becomes active again.

00:07:58.996 --> 00:08:01.164
Good job.
- We're done.

00:08:09.172 --> 00:08:12.009
For weeks, I travel
through the Chiquitania,

00:08:12.092 --> 00:08:14.595
where wildfires rage
fiercely every year.

00:08:15.428 --> 00:08:17.585
Here lies the
tropical dry forest,

00:08:17.610 --> 00:08:19.766
a unique ecosystem
that serves as

00:08:19.850 --> 00:08:22.259
a natural barrier between
the Amazon rainforest

00:08:22.283 --> 00:08:24.271
and the grasslands
of the Gran Chaco.

00:08:26.863 --> 00:08:27.914
Along the way,

00:08:27.938 --> 00:08:31.117
we seem to be permanently
surrounded by plumes of smoke.

00:08:36.533 --> 00:08:38.876
Intentional burning is
used throughout the country

00:08:38.901 --> 00:08:40.871
as an easy clearing technique.

00:08:42.205 --> 00:08:45.709
Fire can be used, for
example, to widen roads,

00:08:45.834 --> 00:08:49.046
burn household waste or
clear leaves from fruit trees

00:08:49.171 --> 00:08:50.881
to make harvesting easier.

00:08:51.757 --> 00:08:55.200
But I also see vast fields
destined for monocultures,

00:08:55.225 --> 00:08:56.637
often soybeans,

00:08:56.887 --> 00:08:58.972
which are then
exported as animal feed.

00:09:00.599 --> 00:09:01.683
With so many fires,

00:09:01.767 --> 00:09:04.770
the chances are high that
one will get out of control.

00:09:14.488 --> 00:09:20.285
This fire will be an estimated
25 to 27 kilometers long.

00:09:22.371 --> 00:09:24.331
As park rangers,

00:09:24.331 --> 00:09:26.958
we focus on prevention,

00:09:27.042 --> 00:09:30.545
but now we are putting
on a fireman's uniform.

00:09:30.621 --> 00:09:33.267
This is the fourth fire
in less than a month

00:09:33.292 --> 00:09:34.341
that we are responding to.

00:09:34.511 --> 00:09:38.080
There have been days

00:09:38.105 --> 00:09:41.596
when the fire grew
seven kilometers a day.

00:09:44.851 --> 00:09:47.396
Victor shows me the
place where the fire started.

00:09:48.397 --> 00:09:52.275
This is where the
famers burnt their pyres,

00:09:52.693 --> 00:09:54.820
but this isn't the season.

00:09:55.946 --> 00:09:58.031
You can't burn anything now.

00:09:58.490 --> 00:10:02.911
They fell trees and lay them
in rows on top of each other.

00:10:04.079 --> 00:10:08.542
When it's dry, they burn it,
and then they can work the land.

00:10:08.625 --> 00:10:11.878
The risk is that it's
too close to the forest.

00:10:11.962 --> 00:10:15.132
If they burn it, the
forest will burn too.

00:10:15.841 --> 00:10:17.050
This distance is nothing.

00:10:17.175 --> 00:10:21.847
The farmers don't get it,
because they're not from here,

00:10:21.930 --> 00:10:24.516
from eastern Bolivia.

00:10:24.599 --> 00:10:28.770
They're from the west, for
example from Potosí or Oruro.

00:10:29.062 --> 00:10:32.357
They are gifted land here
in exchange for their vote.

00:10:34.067 --> 00:10:36.695
Recklessness,
ignorance or malice?

00:10:36.862 --> 00:10:38.280
Victor doesn't always know.

00:10:38.447 --> 00:10:41.158
But then he spots a
faint haze in the air.

00:10:43.869 --> 00:10:47.205
Do you see the plumes
of smoke rising there?

00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:52.586
I follow Victor to the new fire.

00:10:53.670 --> 00:10:56.256
We drive through a new
settlement that looks deserted,

00:10:56.339 --> 00:10:57.799
until a car passes us.

00:10:58.383 --> 00:11:00.251
The park rangers
stop the occupants,

00:11:00.275 --> 00:11:02.679
who quickly admit to
setting a field on fire

00:11:02.763 --> 00:11:05.724
but insist that everything
is under control.

00:11:06.767 --> 00:11:10.395
Those are the pyres.
Look how long they are.

00:11:10.479 --> 00:11:14.524
They lit it. This wasn't
burning on Tuesday.

00:11:15.692 --> 00:11:17.652
The air is thick with smoke.

00:11:17.736 --> 00:11:20.655
As soon as I step out,
my eyes start watering.

00:11:20.739 --> 00:11:23.742
A moment later, my
throat feels like sandpaper.

00:11:23.825 --> 00:11:25.786
It's time for our
protective gear.

00:11:27.621 --> 00:11:30.415
There are several
settlements here.

00:11:30.499 --> 00:11:33.835
Some plots are well cleared.

00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:36.338
They've been cleared and worked.

00:11:36.421 --> 00:11:39.090
Unfortunately,
there's fuel nearby.

00:11:39.174 --> 00:11:44.012
It will spread quickly, all the
way to Kaa-Iya National Park.

00:11:45.597 --> 00:11:49.476
Before my eyes, the flames
leap to the surrounding forest.

00:11:52.813 --> 00:11:55.690
It makes me feel powerless.
It makes me angry to see this.

00:11:56.107 --> 00:11:58.744
We fight to extinguish the fire,

00:11:58.768 --> 00:12:01.404
so we don't lose
flora and fauna,

00:12:01.488 --> 00:12:04.032
and others keep lighting fires.

00:12:12.958 --> 00:12:17.379
In San Ignacio de Velasco, I
meet with Fundación Tierra,

00:12:17.462 --> 00:12:20.423
an NGO focused on
sustainable rural development.

00:12:21.007 --> 00:12:23.802
Researcher Simar highlights the
political and economic factors

00:12:23.885 --> 00:12:26.137
that contribute to forest fires.

00:12:33.520 --> 00:12:38.483
To expand farming
territory, we must deforest.

00:12:38.567 --> 00:12:42.696
And the easiest way
to do that seems to be

00:12:42.779 --> 00:12:45.782
to encourage
slash-and-burn farming.

00:12:45.866 --> 00:12:50.161
And that paves the
way to then simply clear

00:12:50.287 --> 00:12:53.665
the burnt remains of the forests

00:12:53.748 --> 00:12:58.003
and prepare that land
for agricultural production.

00:12:59.045 --> 00:13:02.966
So, farming is a priority
for the government?

00:13:03.049 --> 00:13:04.593
That's right.

00:13:04.676 --> 00:13:08.305
In 2015, it was even decided

00:13:08.330 --> 00:13:10.159
that ten million hectares

00:13:10.184 --> 00:13:11.783
of agricultural land
would be added.

00:13:11.808 --> 00:13:16.113
That led to a decrease in
natural resources,

00:13:16.138 --> 00:13:17.474
such as water.

00:13:18.315 --> 00:13:23.069
The game and fish
populations are also declining.

00:13:23.153 --> 00:13:26.990
What's happening here
is downright ecocide.

00:13:31.119 --> 00:13:32.871
To meet the new
production targets,

00:13:32.896 --> 00:13:34.758
various laws and
presidential decrees

00:13:34.783 --> 00:13:36.833
have been introduced
in recent years.

00:13:37.459 --> 00:13:40.337
Complaints about illegal
deforestation were dismissed,

00:13:40.420 --> 00:13:43.632
inspections delayed,
logging requirements relaxed,

00:13:43.715 --> 00:13:46.509
fines reduced and protective
measures weakened.

00:13:49.512 --> 00:13:51.681
We call them the arson laws.

00:13:51.757 --> 00:13:53.763
If you compare the cost

00:13:53.788 --> 00:13:58.647
of cutting down
one hectare of forest

00:13:58.714 --> 00:14:00.745
with the cost of burning it,

00:14:00.770 --> 00:14:05.195
it appears to be
cheaper to burn it.

00:14:08.073 --> 00:14:13.328
There is no respect for Mother
Earth, nor for human rights.

00:14:13.411 --> 00:14:19.584
The vulnerable communities in
the Amazon and the Chiquitanía

00:14:19.668 --> 00:14:21.586
are going under.

00:14:21.670 --> 00:14:25.715
They're unprotected. All
their rights are violated.

00:14:29.886 --> 00:14:31.221
Commander.

00:14:31.888 --> 00:14:33.181
Nice to meet you.

00:14:34.557 --> 00:14:39.604
Last year, they deforested
7,000 to 11,000 hectares here.

00:14:40.563 --> 00:14:44.401
And now there are
only fields, no forest.

00:14:44.484 --> 00:14:45.629
And so,

00:14:45.653 --> 00:14:49.114
the indigenous communities
that live in the area

00:14:49.197 --> 00:14:52.659
now live on little
islands, so to speak.

00:14:53.785 --> 00:14:58.581
We are left powerless.
Our hands are tied.

00:14:58.665 --> 00:15:03.336
Thinking about all these things
makes us increasingly worried,

00:15:03.420 --> 00:15:07.132
because this place may
turn into one big desert.

00:15:10.385 --> 00:15:13.888
The next morning, Julio takes
me to a settlement of farmers.

00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:18.435
In 2019, they accidentally
caused a massive forest fire.

00:15:21.855 --> 00:15:25.608
We stopped just outside
the settlement, didn't we?

00:15:25.692 --> 00:15:28.486
Do they not like visitors?
- No.

00:15:28.570 --> 00:15:34.576
When they see people they
don't know, they're always wary.

00:15:34.659 --> 00:15:38.830
So, we stopped here to
avoid a possible conflict.

00:15:38.913 --> 00:15:42.876
This settlement is more
aggressive than the other one.

00:15:42.959 --> 00:15:44.294
Really?

00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:48.965
The settlements are part
of an agricultural reform

00:15:49.049 --> 00:15:51.259
aimed at curbing
large land holdings.

00:15:52.135 --> 00:15:54.763
The government grants
land to landless farmers,

00:15:54.846 --> 00:15:56.765
mostly from the
eastern highlands.

00:15:57.432 --> 00:16:00.685
They establish so-called
intercultural communities

00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:02.004
and often receive a plot

00:16:02.028 --> 00:16:04.147
in the dry and windy
west of the country.

00:16:04.230 --> 00:16:07.609
Within two years' time, they
must convert it to farmland.

00:16:14.115 --> 00:16:18.453
This forest is a
permanent silviculture zone.

00:16:18.536 --> 00:16:21.623
If this land is used
for something else,

00:16:21.706 --> 00:16:24.417
it won't remain
fertile for long.

00:16:24.501 --> 00:16:25.899
On the other side,

00:16:25.923 --> 00:16:29.672
there's another
recently established settlement.

00:16:29.881 --> 00:16:33.134
Beyond it, you’ll find San
Pedro, and then Toborochi.

00:16:33.218 --> 00:16:37.180
In total, 135 new
settlements have been formed.

00:16:37.263 --> 00:16:40.642
But no more than ten or
twelve of them work the land.

00:16:44.813 --> 00:16:46.856
The land grants
are controversial.

00:16:47.315 --> 00:16:49.359
Some see it as a
way out of poverty.

00:16:49.776 --> 00:16:52.946
Others believe the system
is all too often abused.

00:16:55.115 --> 00:16:58.743
Julio and I stop in the
community of 14 de Septiembre,

00:16:58.827 --> 00:17:00.703
established here six years ago.

00:17:01.238 --> 00:17:02.254
By law,

00:17:02.288 --> 00:17:05.250
beneficiaries of this land must
work and live here permanently

00:17:05.333 --> 00:17:06.918
to become rightful owners.

00:17:07.210 --> 00:17:10.046
But in practice,
things seem different.

00:17:12.632 --> 00:17:15.343
Practically no one lives here.

00:17:15.426 --> 00:17:19.973
There are no basic facilities.
There's next to nothing here.

00:17:20.056 --> 00:17:22.517
This was built here recently.

00:17:22.600 --> 00:17:27.021
That’s because they'll soon
show up to sow the fields.

00:17:27.105 --> 00:17:30.942
They have other places
where they earn money, too.

00:17:31.025 --> 00:17:34.279
Is this a kind of fraud?
- I think it is.

00:17:34.487 --> 00:17:39.117
What good is a settlement, if
you're not going to live there?

00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:40.827
They traffic it.

00:17:40.910 --> 00:17:43.788
They keep the land
until they own the rights,

00:17:43.872 --> 00:17:46.416
and then sell it
to third parties.

00:17:51.004 --> 00:17:53.756
Land trafficking is a
growing problem in Bolivia.

00:17:54.632 --> 00:17:57.510
Public land is
claimed, burnt and sold

00:17:57.594 --> 00:18:00.597
to foreign companies, cattle
ranchers or Mennonites,

00:18:00.680 --> 00:18:03.850
who practice intensive farming
in religious communities.

00:18:04.726 --> 00:18:07.562
But the government also stands
to gain from this arrangement.

00:18:11.566 --> 00:18:15.945
More than anything, it's
a government strategy

00:18:16.020 --> 00:18:17.534
to populate places

00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:20.909
where they don't
have much political influence.

00:18:20.992 --> 00:18:24.650
The party in power has
never been able to win

00:18:24.675 --> 00:18:26.332
in the Chiquitanía.

00:18:26.414 --> 00:18:29.459
The opposition has
always won here.

00:18:29.542 --> 00:18:32.921
I think that is the
underlying intention,

00:18:33.004 --> 00:18:35.590
but they’ve camouflaged
it as development.

00:18:35.673 --> 00:18:37.723
They’re populating territory

00:18:37.747 --> 00:18:40.386
to establish
a political power base.

00:18:42.597 --> 00:18:44.933
This area used to no man’s land.

00:18:45.350 --> 00:18:47.736
Since the construction
of a new highway,

00:18:47.760 --> 00:18:50.146
deforestation has
increased significantly.

00:18:50.438 --> 00:18:53.608
Dozens of signs for new
settlements line the roadside.

00:18:53.942 --> 00:18:56.343
These are said to
be granted by INRA,

00:18:56.367 --> 00:18:59.239
the National Institute
of Agrarian Reform.

00:19:00.698 --> 00:19:02.825
There is a complete
lack of transparency.

00:19:04.053 --> 00:19:05.803
For years, they have
evaded questions

00:19:05.828 --> 00:19:09.600
about how land parcels and
beneficiaries are selected.

00:19:10.208 --> 00:19:12.502
When I visit, I get no response.

00:19:17.632 --> 00:19:20.343
After a text from Victor,
I hit the road again.

00:19:21.052 --> 00:19:23.451
With new fires
being set constantly,

00:19:23.476 --> 00:19:26.282
all firefighting efforts
have been abandoned.

00:19:26.307 --> 00:19:29.143
The military, fire department,
and local government

00:19:29.227 --> 00:19:30.895
are meeting to make plans.

00:19:41.447 --> 00:19:43.658
Hello.

00:19:43.741 --> 00:19:45.827
How's it going?
Everything alright?

00:19:47.203 --> 00:19:52.333
For security reasons, not
a single person will enter

00:19:52.333 --> 00:19:55.461
to fight the fires directly.

00:19:55.670 --> 00:19:58.411
The northerly
wind could trap us,

00:19:58.435 --> 00:20:01.175
and that would be a catastrophe.

00:20:01.259 --> 00:20:03.052
It could cost us lives.

00:20:03.136 --> 00:20:06.472
We can have the best
strategy in the world,

00:20:06.556 --> 00:20:12.020
but if they keep sabotaging
us, there's no point.

00:20:12.287 --> 00:20:13.405
Right now,

00:20:13.430 --> 00:20:18.109
we have 400 to 500 fires
due to slash-and-burn farming.

00:20:18.192 --> 00:20:20.862
About every 300 or 400 meters,

00:20:20.945 --> 00:20:24.073
there's a deforested
plot of land.

00:20:24.157 --> 00:20:27.744
In those places, you see a
hut with a corrugated roof.

00:20:27.744 --> 00:20:29.954
These are settlements. See?

00:20:30.038 --> 00:20:33.750
They come on foot
and set fire to it here.

00:20:33.833 --> 00:20:36.586
300 meters further,
they do the same.

00:20:36.669 --> 00:20:40.506
Those are the hot spots
we can see on satellite.

00:20:40.590 --> 00:20:45.386
These are clearly
organized communities.

00:20:45.470 --> 00:20:48.890
The fires are lit
a few days apart.

00:20:48.973 --> 00:20:51.768
If you put it like that,
I’d say we’re at war.

00:20:52.810 --> 00:20:55.361
For weeks, I reach out to
intercultural communities

00:20:55.385 --> 00:20:57.065
to hear their side of the story,

00:20:57.607 --> 00:21:01.152
but I keep hitting a wall of
mistrust toward journalists.

00:21:02.904 --> 00:21:04.581
Conflicts between
migrant farmers

00:21:04.605 --> 00:21:06.282
and local Indigenous communities

00:21:06.366 --> 00:21:08.910
are also becoming
increasingly aggressive.

00:21:09.494 --> 00:21:12.622
Spontaneous visits without
permission are too dangerous.

00:21:13.498 --> 00:21:16.542
Eventually, I am
welcome in Chirimoya.

00:21:29.555 --> 00:21:31.391
You can sit here.

00:21:33.267 --> 00:21:36.437
I've been living here
for 14 years already.

00:21:36.521 --> 00:21:41.025
I used to live in the tropics.

00:21:41.984 --> 00:21:45.488
In Cochabamba?
- Yes. But there were floods.

00:21:46.197 --> 00:21:50.410
When Evo Morales was president,
he told us to move here.

00:21:50.493 --> 00:21:54.747
Before, we had no land.
They sought out land for us.

00:21:55.373 --> 00:21:59.419
What did you know about
this region before you arrived?

00:22:00.461 --> 00:22:03.089
I didn't know anything at all.

00:22:04.257 --> 00:22:06.801
You must deforest
to survive here.

00:22:06.884 --> 00:22:10.763
We did this by hand,
using machetes and axes.

00:22:10.847 --> 00:22:15.685
They always say the people
working the land are to blame.

00:22:15.768 --> 00:22:21.065
The farmers are said to start
the fires, but it's not true.

00:22:21.125 --> 00:22:23.125
There's no justice
for poor people.

00:22:23.150 --> 00:22:27.989
The rich always
get off scot-free.

00:22:28.239 --> 00:22:31.117
If you have money, you
can get away with anything.

00:22:38.754 --> 00:22:40.434
The divide between communities

00:22:40.459 --> 00:22:43.045
in
Bolivia seems immeasurably deep.

00:22:43.838 --> 00:22:47.008
A wealthier urban elite
often stands in stark contrast

00:22:47.091 --> 00:22:49.177
to a poorer rural population.

00:22:49.844 --> 00:22:51.248
And the poorer you are,

00:22:51.273 --> 00:22:54.202
the more likely you are to
vote for the MAS government.

00:22:54.682 --> 00:22:58.227
This government has a huge
base among farmers and miners.

00:22:58.895 --> 00:23:02.231
The farmers who receive land
in Santa Cruz are also members

00:23:02.315 --> 00:23:03.835
of well-organized unions,

00:23:03.860 --> 00:23:06.361
which have strong
ties to the government.

00:23:07.487 --> 00:23:10.781
Who else will protect
us and look out for us?

00:23:10.865 --> 00:23:14.327
Who else can we turn
to with our demands?

00:23:14.410 --> 00:23:18.456
Who else can help us
with the government?

00:23:18.539 --> 00:23:22.210
So you feel pretty powerful?
- That's right.

00:23:22.944 --> 00:23:24.741
The union takes our requests

00:23:24.782 --> 00:23:28.716
to the executive
authority in La Paz.

00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:31.636
They say that
intercultural communities

00:23:31.719 --> 00:23:37.016
now have more power than the
region's Indigenous communities.

00:23:37.975 --> 00:23:41.229
Yes. That's because
they are uninformed.

00:23:42.146 --> 00:23:44.524
They don't demand anything.

00:23:53.157 --> 00:23:55.368
To conclude my
journey, I head to Beni,

00:23:55.451 --> 00:23:57.745
the most tropical
province in the country.

00:23:57.828 --> 00:24:00.581
It's where deforestation
and forest fires

00:24:00.665 --> 00:24:03.501
have increased fastest
in the last three years.

00:24:03.834 --> 00:24:07.380
Since the government approved
a new land use plan in 2019,

00:24:07.672 --> 00:24:11.592
almost 40% of the area can
now be used for agriculture.

00:24:12.385 --> 00:24:14.762
The rainforest is now
quickly making way

00:24:14.845 --> 00:24:17.265
for cattle ranches
and large plantations.

00:24:31.904 --> 00:24:35.157
In the Territorio Indígena
Mojeño Ignaciano,

00:24:35.241 --> 00:24:37.372
some women resolutely turn their
backs

00:24:37.397 --> 00:24:38.803
on slash-and-burn agriculture

00:24:38.828 --> 00:24:40.912
to keep their territory safe.

00:24:46.127 --> 00:24:49.255
Nice to meet you.
This is my son.

00:24:49.380 --> 00:24:52.300
How are you? What your name?

00:24:52.425 --> 00:24:54.343
Wilson. You have two more?

00:24:54.468 --> 00:24:55.886
Yes, I have five kids.

00:24:57.555 --> 00:24:59.890
Yolanda’s family
lives off the land.

00:25:00.558 --> 00:25:03.060
Right next to their home,
they cultivate vegetables

00:25:03.185 --> 00:25:06.355
on a plot of land, surrounded
by the tropical forest.

00:25:07.732 --> 00:25:12.778
This field has been made
under the care of the forest

00:25:12.778 --> 00:25:16.741
and of everything around it
so that it doesn’t burn down.

00:25:19.118 --> 00:25:22.246
We weeded everything.

00:25:22.330 --> 00:25:25.458
Then, you have to
chop it all up finely.

00:25:25.541 --> 00:25:30.588
You don't burn it off, so you
protect the forest around you.

00:25:30.671 --> 00:25:33.966
I remember when my dad sent
me into the field to burn it.

00:25:34.050 --> 00:25:37.970
It was always terrible
to see that huge fire.

00:25:38.054 --> 00:25:41.057
Now, even my
father is convinced.

00:25:41.557 --> 00:25:43.809
First, he resisted change.

00:25:43.893 --> 00:25:47.355
Now he says: Nice,
there's already yuca.

00:25:47.563 --> 00:25:52.818
When my son is older, he'll
say: I did this with my parents.

00:25:52.902 --> 00:25:55.780
It's a story that...
How should I put it?

00:25:55.863 --> 00:25:58.532
It lifts our community up.

00:25:58.616 --> 00:26:01.113
Now they can’t
paint us as villagers

00:26:01.137 --> 00:26:03.204
that set fire to the forest.

00:26:05.998 --> 00:26:09.835
There are still so-called
virgin forests here.

00:26:09.919 --> 00:26:13.255
They've never been
burned or cut down.

00:26:13.339 --> 00:26:16.092
They are sacred to us.

00:26:16.175 --> 00:26:18.678
It’s where we preserve nature.

00:26:18.678 --> 00:26:21.806
Are there any threats
to the community?

00:26:22.682 --> 00:26:26.102
From external people, yes.
Because the burn so much.

00:26:26.102 --> 00:26:28.347
Since they are so close to our
territory,

00:26:28.371 --> 00:26:29.939
the fire enters the forest.

00:26:29.939 --> 00:26:32.775
It’s so dry that everything
goes up in flames.

00:26:33.442 --> 00:26:35.319
For Yolanda, it's obvious.

00:26:35.403 --> 00:26:38.239
Slash-and-burn agriculture
is a form of pollution.

00:26:39.115 --> 00:26:42.410
The smoke affects the eyes and
lungs of the local population.

00:26:43.035 --> 00:26:45.955
Ash enters rivers,
contaminating food sources.

00:26:46.288 --> 00:26:48.290
And food is what it's all about.

00:26:49.542 --> 00:26:51.877
Not too hard, or it will break.

00:26:51.961 --> 00:26:53.754
Slowly, but surely.

00:26:54.714 --> 00:26:59.719
You live off the sales then?
- Yes, we sell what we harvest.

00:26:59.802 --> 00:27:02.930
And we use that money
to buy what we need.

00:27:03.013 --> 00:27:07.518
Things like sugar,
for example, and...

00:27:07.601 --> 00:27:09.937
and rice because
we don't grow that.

00:27:12.857 --> 00:27:15.317
Yolanda received seed
capital and guidance

00:27:15.401 --> 00:27:19.405
from the Bolivian NGO Cejis
to manage her burn-free field.

00:27:20.114 --> 00:27:22.241
Although her field is
now self-sustaining,

00:27:22.324 --> 00:27:25.703
she says the initial setup
costs quickly added up.

00:27:31.083 --> 00:27:34.145
The communities here always
say that we have everything,

00:27:34.170 --> 00:27:35.629
except money.

00:27:35.713 --> 00:27:38.382
We need that
money to get started.

00:27:43.179 --> 00:27:46.557
The next day, Yolanda and I
travel to San Ignacio de Mojos,

00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:48.017
the nearest town.

00:27:48.309 --> 00:27:50.895
She's looking for buyers
for her new harvest.

00:27:53.481 --> 00:27:54.607
Oops, we dropped a yuca.

00:27:58.861 --> 00:28:02.114
These look good.
They're nice and soft, too.

00:28:02.198 --> 00:28:04.909
You already sold me one
bag. Bring me two more.

00:28:04.992 --> 00:28:06.023
Ok.

00:28:09.830 --> 00:28:11.916
Thirty.
- Great, thanks.

00:28:13.501 --> 00:28:16.295
It's festival time in
San Ignacio de Moxos.

00:28:16.712 --> 00:28:20.800
A dance parade honors
Indigenous communities.

00:28:24.136 --> 00:28:26.430
Here come the machete bearers.

00:28:36.857 --> 00:28:42.029
They pretend to hold a machete
with which to work the fields.

00:28:42.112 --> 00:28:44.949
Everything is
connected to nature.

00:28:45.032 --> 00:28:48.828
Everything acted out in
the dances is ancestral.

00:28:54.542 --> 00:28:56.710
The more forest Bolivia loses,

00:28:56.794 --> 00:28:58.567
the more the
lives and traditions

00:28:58.592 --> 00:29:00.756
of Indigenous
peoples are at risk.

00:29:01.382 --> 00:29:04.218
But slash-and-burn agriculture,
and the illegal land trade

00:29:04.301 --> 00:29:05.845
it often obscures,

00:29:05.970 --> 00:29:08.848
is just one cause of
the devastating fires.

00:29:09.390 --> 00:29:11.934
It would be easy to fall
into the dangerous rhetoric

00:29:12.017 --> 00:29:13.602
that blames farmers alone.

00:29:14.270 --> 00:29:16.605
Wealthy cattle traders,
international companies,

00:29:16.689 --> 00:29:20.609
and large Mennonite communities
all contribute to the problem.

00:29:21.819 --> 00:29:25.698
Yet, for many, fire
remains a part of daily life.

00:29:26.073 --> 00:29:29.159
This holiday, too,
ends in flames.