News — 08 June, 2021

Practical Action Bolivia Trained Community Members in Mapping Areas Impacted by Forest Fires

Practical Action Bolivia has completed their microgrant supporting communities in mapping areas that have been impacted by forest fires in the Amazon.

Practical Action Bolivia has established the HOT Chiquitania mapping community as part of their now complete microgrant project to map areas of Bolivia struck by last year’s devastating forest fires in the Amazon. In Bolivia alone, the fires destroyed more than three million hectares, causing widespread damage to the biodiversity, killing animals, and harming livelihoods.

Practical Action Bolivia hosted eight trainings to support the affected communities, training 52 people, 22 of whom were women, and created a site with training resources in Spanish. With the mapping skills they gained, the community mapped over 10 thousand buildings and 10 thousand kilometers of road in the affected areas.

This community-generated map data offers a more detailed and comprehensive understanding of where forest fires have destroyed crops and infrastructure and where ecosystems are in critical condition, knowledge that can be used to support recovery efforts.