News

• The Head of the Forestry Engineering program at UdeC, Dr. Juan Pedro Elissetche, emphasizes the importance of criminally penalizing offenses related to wildfires. Additionally, he considers the creation of a National Forest Service fundamental, though not within the currently established timelines.

In 2024, the Valparaíso Region faced one of the largest wildfire emergencies the country has seen in recent years, claiming the lives of over 130 people, leaving more than seven thousand affected, and resulting in the loss of thousands of homes and jobs across four communes in the region.

The urgent need for afire lawhas encountered political obstacles and public-private conflicts, neglecting the needs of a population that requires urgent measures to reduce the chances of a fire completely altering their lives.

When asked about this, the Head of the Forestry Engineering program and professor at the Faculty of Forest Sciences, Dr. Juan Pedro Elissetche Martínez, argues that 99% of wildfires are caused by human activity, whether intentional or due to negligence.

Regarding the projects currently under review, one is a short bill presented by Deputy Félix González, and another comes from the Ministry of Agriculture. Dr. Elissetche highlights the need to address the penalization of this crime as one of the key points.

"When there is no control over these fires, there is a loss of biodiversity in ecosystems, and now we are seeing the loss of human lives and infrastructure, which carries a much more severe criminal connotation. In this sense, afire lawmust aim for punishment and penalization as a form of warning, ensuring these crimes are not left unpunished so people do not continue committing them," he explains.

What happened in the Valparaíso region cannot be addressed without considering the social component. Many of those affected by the fires lived in areas unsuitable for construction, reflecting a lack of regulation and housing solutions from the state.

"Authorities, regardless of their political stance, must take responsibility for remedying, regulating, and securing resources to manage these conditions because what follows is only regret. The lack of awareness among people and the absence of resources to manage combustible biomass near their homes is evident and has been demonstrated," said the professor from the Faculty of Forest Sciences.

National Forest Service

In the project presented by the Ministry of Agriculture, led by Esteban Valenzuela Van Treek, there is a highly relevant point: the creation of the National Forest Service, an agency that would replace the current National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), significantly strengthening its scope.

The downside is that its implementation would take no less than three years. Dr. Elissetche agrees with this point but stresses that the creation of this Service is crucial, especially due to the greater independence it would have in oversight, regulation, and organizing all matters related to the forest framework and the digital framework across the country.

"I believe that when there is willingness and no conflicting factors or opinions arise to delay it, this can be carried out more quickly if given the urgency it deserves. In my opinion, it is still necessary to eventually have something similar to what exists in the United States, where such a service has full autonomy and does not depend on any ministry," he states.

Source:www.diarioconcepcion.cl