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Last Thursday afternoon, another fire broke out in Sitio Nalseb in Tublay,
Another common cause is the indiscriminate use and disposal of lighted items such as cigarettes. Apart from the threat to life posed by fires, environmental groups have pointed out the difficulty of reviving vegetation in an area that has been destroyed in a conflagration.
The country has already lost too much of its forest cover due to illegal logging and indiscriminate development. The government must do more, in coordination with local communities, to protect the remaining forests.
There has been growing awareness at the grassroots of the advantages of sustainable agro-forestry. This awareness has reduced cases of slash-and-burn farming and has encouraged community vigilance in protecting fragile forest ecosystems.
Ecotourism has also enhanced the appeal of protecting the environment particularly forests. Still, the country needs to ramp up efforts to protect forests not only in terms of monitoring, but also in putting out forest fires.
In the raging fire in Tublay,
Forests in the tropical
Upgrading firefighting capability must be matched by increased care when visiting forests. One lit cigarette carelessly flicked away can destroy 150 hectares of precious forest and animal habitat and endanger lives.
© Pakistan Press International, source