Meet The Women Using Drones To Help Prevent Forest Fires In …

A team led by two women from Bolivia have used their drone skills to help map fires and work with local authorities there.

In 2023, more than 42,100 wildfires were recorded in Bolivia, the highest level in the last five years, in part contributing to the almost 700,000 hectares of natural forest lost in that year.

Erika Lopez Coca, founder and CEO of the GAIA Center, and former co-founder and strategic planning coordinator at Bolivia Flying Labs explains that the Firehawk Project, based in remote and rural communities in Bolivia, was created to utilize drones for mapping and monitoring forest areas, providing vital information to identify high-risk zones susceptible to fires.

The project conducted drone flights in El Portón and the Peniel communities in Bolivia, covering over 100 hectares each and after image processing, the team shared the results with Roboré Municipal Government Forest Fire Task Force, only to have a planned on-site discussion disrupted by a dire fire season.

“Firehawk was a pilot project that showcased the potential of accessible information to empower local communities in combating forest fires,” Lopez says, adding that the project was a crucial step towards preserving the precious ecosystem in the La Chiquitania region and protecting the communities that rely on it.

Lopez explains that she and Laura Arianne Parada Hoyos, a gender and environment specialist at the GAIA Center and Bolivia Flying Labs, are taking this vision further, transforming the GAIA Center into community-led and community-owned hubs that address local needs.

“Technology and accessible information are essential to democratize responses to environmental challenges,” Lopez says.

Parada says that GAIA arose from the experiences and challenges faced in the Firehawk project.

“The main objective is to foster a culture of environmentally responsible stewardship and to serve as a meeting point between communities, financial institutions and new technologies, especially in marginalized communities, to ensure technological accessibility for all,” she says, adding that the project faces significant challenges, such as establishing effective communication between stakeholders and overcoming technological barriers in marginalized communities.

“However, these difficulties also provide opportunities to innovate inclusive and sustainable approaches that can set a valuable precedent for similar initiatives,” Parada says.

Bolivia’s Women in STEM

Parada grew up in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, with experiences in the Chiquitania region and the department of El Beni as a volunteer in environmental projects.

“I collaborated with Bolivia’s first park ranger, Carola Vaca, participating in conservation and environmental education campaigns,” she says, “I participated in a stage of the caravan for a Bolivia without Forest Fires, interacting with women leaders in the region and these experiences have guided my commitment to environmental conservation.”

Lopez says the urgency of addressing climate-related challenges requires a shift in how we approach solutions.

“It is not about where the solution comes from but the holistic and inclusive approach we take to safeguard our planet,” she says, “We need global collaboration, and my unique perspective and abilities aim to bridge gaps, fostering a collective effort to protect our shared home.”

Parada explains that the relevance of science from the Global South lies in the capacity of local communities to address their own challenges.

“It is essential to empower these communities to actively participate in their development, meeting their needs from local knowledge and training,” she says.

Studying Forest Fires And Pangolins in Nepal

On the other side of the world, Tulshi Laxmi Suwal, the founder of Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF) in Kathmandu, Nepal, is studying the impact of forest fires on scaly mammals called pangolins—and inspiring a whole new generation of researchers to appreciate them.

Nepal is home to two of the eight species of pangolin — the Chinese pangolin and the Indian pangolin and they are known as “friends of farmers” for the vital ecosystem services they provide, with a single pangolin eating 70 million ants and termites a year.

She says that a study in 2016 found that that pangolin habitat in Nepal is increasingly being threatened by forest fire, with over 3,000 forest fire incidents occur every year. Her project will create ten sustainable Community Pangolin Conservation Groups to monitor pangolin populations and their habitats and equip them to manage fires and plant 20,000 local mixed broad-leaved trees.

“This project will help other species, address gender inequality, climate change and so much more,” she says, “Nature-based solutions will help to provide alternative livelihoods for local communities in the form of leaf-plate-making for example.”