A field cleared and ready for intentional burning in the community of Santa Elena, Concepción. As elsewhere, fires are commonly used as an agricultural technique in Bolivia, where ‘slash and burn’ is a key livelihood strategy and customary land management practice for the rural poor. Intentional burning increases the nutritive value for livestock and game, while clearing land for agriculture where access to mechanization is limited. More severe drought and frost seasons have increased the risk of controlled burns spreading and transforming into major forest fires.
