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Aida Baldini, New Director of Conaf: "I Have Greater Expertise in Fires Than the Previous Director"

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• The forestry engineer from the Universidad Austral was appointed by President Gabriel Boric to lead the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) following the departure of Christian Little, who faced criticism for his handling of the emergency during the wildfires on February 2.

On September 11, Aida Baldini received an unexpected call while vacationing with her grandchildren in the United States: it was President Gabriel Boric. The call, she says, froze her for a moment, as she thought it was about assuming the role of national director of the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred), a position she had applied for through a public competition. But the next response caught her off guard.

"He asked me to lead the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), and for me, that was like a balm of calm. Because it’s my home, and I have experience in fire management. He also asked me to improve the emergency communication system, and that’s what we’ve been working on," she stated in an interview with La Tercera.

Baldini took office on Monday, September 23, replacing then-director Christian Little. The former RN member was serving as head of Forest Development during the wildfire emergency on February 2, 2024.

Why do you think a change in leadership was necessary, especially on the eve of a new fire season?

After the tragedy in Valparaíso, it was necessary to renew some positions, to allow people to express themselves more. The President himself told me when he called, 'We need you because it has to be someone from within Conaf who also understands the technical side.' I have no doubt there are many people with all the technical skills, but perhaps they asked me because I’ve been with Conaf for 32 years and truly understand the dynamics of the corporation.

After the February 2 wildfires, was there something that was failing and needed fixing?

I have greater expertise in fires than the previous director. Maybe that’s why. And also because I know Conaf’s culture well. Perhaps it was time for a refresh—with experienced people—but also to push forward. That was an explicit request from the President, the Interior Minister, and the Agriculture Minister: to strengthen fire response. The leadership has changed. I believe this is the first time Conaf has had an executive director who is a fire specialist. That doesn’t mean I don’t know other areas, like forest management, which is my strength.

What went wrong during the February 2 wildfire?

It’s very difficult for me to pinpoint what went wrong because firefighting is complex. Being inside Conaf but outside the fire program, I can’t fully assess the mistakes. However, we’re conducting lessons-learned sessions—technicians are already on it, in fact, this started before I took office—and some areas are being reinforced. For example, emphasizing technological tools, artificial intelligence, modeling fires better, and understanding environmental conditions. With these lessons and strengthening these areas, I believe we can perform much better.

What did President Boric ask of you when appointing you as director?

To improve the emergency communication system. That’s why we’re changing the wildfire protection program into a national wildfire protection system. This is something the President, Minister Tohá, and Minister Valenzuela have discussed extensively—what’s missing is stronger integration of all public and private organizations.

Could the Valparaíso emergency have been avoided?

I don’t know the internal details of the response. I have no doubt people worked to their full capacity, deploying all necessary resources. So, it’s hard for me to say where the failure was. I also saw communication issues, but I can’t pinpoint the exact problem.

What self-criticism do you have about the service during the emergency?

The service is deeply wounded because no explanations were given after the emergency. The people who worked on it are psychologically affected, so not providing clear explanations to the press about what happened, what was done, the efforts made—I think that was a mistake.

Has that wound affected how Conaf operates today?

The opposite. This tragedy has made people more sensitive, especially wildfire professionals. But it’s an issue where everyone knows human lives are at stake.

Did you testify before the Prosecutor’s Office after the emergency?

No. I wasn’t part of the fire response structure. At the time, I was in forest development, specifically forest management.

After the emergency, it was confirmed that one of those responsible was from Conaf. How did this affect the service?

It was shocking. Obviously, it impacted hiring. The psychological tests for applicants are now much stricter, and more people have been excluded than we’d like. Not because they show signs of pyromania or greed, but due to lack of leadership. The new tests demand more skills, which creates recruitment challenges. But we know we need to make a greater effort to attract young people to the firefighting program as brigade members.

What failed in the selection process?

It’s difficult. No process is infallible. And it was painful because it involved someone who had been with Conaf for many seasons. You tend to trust people you’ve worked with, who return every season—which is good—but there’s no foolproof method in these cases. From what we saw, the issue wasn’t pyromania but an excessive ambition.

Is it necessary to reform the employee selection process? How?

There’s an expert panel created by the Agriculture Minister—after the incident involving the employee—that’s designing a new selection method. They’ve already submitted their first report outlining the characteristics brigade members should have. The panel includes civil service representatives, ACHS, Universidad de Concepción experts, ergonomics specialists, and even wildfire professionals from forestry companies.

Do you acknowledge criticism of the government’s management during the wildfire emergency?

Not criticism, because let’s not forget how the budget increased. Firefighting budgets have risen due to demands. Last season, we worked with $147 billion. In 2010, Conaf had around $6.8 billion. It increases every year. Wildfire concerns are shared by all governments, and this one has provided the necessary tools.

Despite the budget increase, the emergency left 135 dead and thousands affected in three Valparaíso municipalities. Doesn’t that indicate failures?

All these apparent failures—Conaf is only conducting lessons-learned on our actions—the most basic step is ensuring all authorities integrate into the incident command system. That will solve potential coordination issues.

Your name wasn’t proposed by the minister. Can you work well together?

I’ve had a very positive reception from the Agriculture Minister and the Undersecretary of Agriculture. I arrived with concerns, but on the contrary, they’ve given me full space to work, which for me means greater responsibility.

After your appointment, old tweets surfaced where you appeared to support insults toward Gabriel Boric, Camila Vallejo, and Giorgio Jackson. Do you think this could undermine your work in the service?

I’ll be frank: I didn’t do that. I don’t post political content on social media. To me, it’s not strange if this was a joke. I find political expressions on social media in poor taste. The minister’s chief of staff alerted me about these screenshots, and I gave the necessary explanations.

Source:La Tercera