The forest fires of 2019 were among the most devastating ever recorded in Bolivia. In this study we analyze the relationship between forest fragmentation and meteorological drought with the spatial distribution of forest fires during that year in the Department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. We carried out a classification of the natural vegetation using Landsat 8 satellite imagery. Forest fragmentation was defined according to the distribution of forest patch sizes and classified using seven categories; furthermore, distance to anthropogenically used areas and forest edges was quantified. Spatial patterns of meteorological drought severity were quantified using long-term series of precipitation and reference evapotranspiration. Areas burned during 2019 (July–December) were characterized by means of spectral indices (normalized burn ratio (NBR) and normalized delta burn ratio (dNBR)) and unsupervised classification methods (interactive self-organizing data analysis algorithm (ISODATA)). The results show that 61.9% of the total area burned occurred in large (>2,000,000 ha), relatively unfragmented patches. However, the highest proportion of fires (17.1%) occurred in relatively small patches (<20 ha). In addition, anthropogenically used zones and forest edges were most impacted by forest fires. Finally, the spatial patterns of drought severity also influenced the severity of forest fires.

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are sites that contribute significantly to the protection of the planet’s biodiversity. In this study, we evaluated the annual burned areas and the intensity of the fires that affected Bolivia and its 58 KBAs (23.3 million ha) over the last 20 years (2001–2020). In particular, we analyzed the impact of wildfires on the distribution of Bolivian birds at the levels of overall species richness, endemic species and threatened species (Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable). We found that at the KBA level, the cumulative area of wildfires was 21.6 million ha, while the absolute area impacted was 5.6 million ha. The KBAs most affected by the wildfires are located in the departments of Beni and Santa Cruz; mainly in the KBAs Área Natural de Manejo Integrado San Matías, Oeste del río Mamoré, Este del río Mamoré, Noel Kempff Mercado and Área Natural de Manejo Integrado Otuquis. The wildfires impacted the distribution of 54 threatened species and 15 endemic species in the KBAs. Based on the results of this study, it is a priority to communicate to Bolivian government authorities the importance of KBAs as a strategy for the conservation of the country’s biodiversity and the threats resulting from anthropogenic fires.

The eastern region of Bolivia is of high conservation interest due to the presence of the Chiquitano Dry Forest, Dry Chaco, Pantanal and Cerrado ecoregions. However, this region is under high pressure from various anthropogenic threats, which requires continuous monitoring. An alternative for this monitoring is the use of mobile applications designed under the concept of citizen science, in which local stakeholders are part of the process of obtaining information and finding solutions to environmental problems in their territories. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the information obtained during environmental monitoring with a citizen science approach in the eastern region of Bolivia. We developed a public electronic form for the ArcGIS Survey123 mobile application to capture spatial data of nine thematic variables. Between 2021 and 2023, we conducted 16 training courses in 12 population centers, with attendees from 98 communities in 6 municipalities in the region. A total of 360 volunteers from different sectors participated in the training, including technicians from public and private institutions, park rangers, community representatives and citizens. We obtained a total of 379 records, of which 70.4% were recorded near communities and the rest within protected areas. The results were reclassified and grouped into three clusters: human activities, water resources and biodiversity. In the human activities cluster, the categories with the highest number of records were wildfires and deforestation. In the water resources cluster, the categories with the most records were cattle waterholes and streams, but one of the most notable records was the reduction of wetlands in a sector of the Bolivian Pantanal. In the biodiversity cluster, the main reports were for mammals, and among the most notable records obtained were the footprints of the jaguar (Panthera onca). This monitoring tool made it possible to generate and use high-quality information in different sites in the eastern region in almost real time, which could help strengthen the interactions and relationship with users in environmental dialogue and governance processes.

Neotropical forests offer alternatives to surface cooling and their conservation is an effective solution for mitigating the effects of climate change. Little is known about the importance of tropical dry forests for temperature regulation in Chiquitania, a region with increasing deforestation rates. The impact that deforestation processes are having on the surface temperature in Chiquitania remains an open question. This study evaluated trends in forest cover loss based on land surface temperatures (°C) in forested and deforested areas in Chiquitania. We hypothesized a positive relationship between higher deforestation and a temperature increase, which would decrease the resilience of highly disturbed Chiquitano forests. We evaluated ten sampling sites (10 × 10 km), including five in forested areas with some type of protection and the other five in areas with populated centers and accelerated forest loss. We developed scripts on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform using information from the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI, MOD13A2) and the daytime and nighttime Land Surface Temperature (LST, MYD11A1) from MODIS products for the period 2001–2021. The statistical significance of the trends of the time series averages of the MODIS products was analyzed using a nonparametric Mann–Kendall test and the degree of the relationship between the variables was determined using the Pearson statistic. Our results based on NDVI analysis showed consistent vegetation growth in forested areas across the study period, while the opposite occurred in deforested lands. Regarding surface temperature trends, the results for daytime LST showed a positive increase in the four deforested areas. Comparatively, daytime LST averages in deforested areas were warmer than those in forested areas, with a difference of 3.1 °C. Additionally, correlation analyses showed a significant relationship between low NDVI values due to deforestation in three sites and an increase in daytime LST, while for nighttime LST this phenomenon was registered in two deforested areas. Our results suggest a significant relationship between the loss of forest cover and the increase in land surface temperature in Chiquitania. This study could be the first step in designing and implementing an early climate–forest monitoring system in this region.

The natural regeneration of ecosystems impacted by fires is a high priority in Bolivia, and represents one of the country’s greatest environmental challenges. With the abundance of spatial data and access to improved technologies, it is critical to provide an effective method of analysis to evaluate changes in land use in the face of the global need to understand the dynamics of vegetation in regeneration processes. In this context, we evaluated the dynamics of natural regeneration through phenological patterns by measuring the maximal and minimal spectral thresholds at four fire-impacted sites in Chiquitania in 2019 and 2020, and compared them with unburned areas using harmonic fitted values of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR). We used two-way ANOVA test to evaluate the significant differences in the values of the profiles of NDVI and NBR indices. We quantified severity at the four study sites using the dNBR obtained from the difference between pre- and postfire NBR. Additionally, we selected 66 sampling sites to apply the Composite Burn Index (CBI) methodology. Our results indicate that NBR is the most reliable index for interannual comparisons and determining changes in the phenological pattern, which allow for the detection of postfire regeneration. Fire severity levels based on dNBR and CBI indices are reliable methodologies that allow for determining the severity and dynamics of changes in postfire regeneration levels in forested and nonforested areas.

Despite more than two decades of efforts made to prevent the loss of the Chiquitano Dry Forest on the Bolivian side, deforestation and forest fragmentation driven by agricultural expansion, uncontrolled settlement and forest fires have continued putting its ecological integrity at high risk. Currently, this unique forest is severely vulnerable and under considerable pressure, which should generate worldwide attention and concern, considering its importance in terms of biodiversity and climate. In this opinion piece, we address the approach of policies and social actions to reverse the situation using the experiences of locals.