With the Met Office forecasting a particularly arid Dry Season, conservationists are begging citizens to not set bush fires which the Acting Chief Fire Officer said numbered more than 4,000 last year.
Acting CFO Kenny Gopaul said on December 1, 2015 the official fire season began, and he was hoping there would be no repeat of last year.
He said the fire service intends to increase its patrols and fire guardians have already been hired for the purpose of patrolling and monitoring areas.
Gopaul is asking that those who intend to set fires obtain a licence to do so. He said the licence cost $10.
He also advised that if setting fire it should be done at night, in small heaps and when the wind is down.
Gopaul said the public should understand that they can be charge for setting fires without a licence.
The licence can be obtained at any fire service station.
Conservationists: It destroys habitat
Founder of the El Socorro Centre for Wildlife Conservation Ricardo Meade said bush fires are habitat destruction in its worst form.
Meade said just as human lives and homes are lost to fires, the same occurs with animals.
He said the consequences of bush fires pose a great threat to the environment and ecology.
Meade said: “many protected animals are injured or die when the blaze cannot be contained. Their homes are lost, families are scattered and the young ones remaining have to fend for themselves”.
He said this is a criminal offence to set fires without a licence.
Forestry officer and founder of the Wildlife and Environmental Protection of Trinidad and Tobago (WEPTT) Kishan Ramcharan said forest and bush fires were an annual tragedy.
He said there are several hot-spot areas including parts of Caura, Lopinot, St. Benedict’s hill and Lady Young in Port of Spain, where fires occur.
Ramcharan said: “the fires not only destroy the homes and habitats of animals, but also causes soil erosion and landslides when the vegetation is burnt so bad”.
He said the cause of the fire include slash and burn agriculture, improper burning of rubbish and debris, fires started by campers and hunters who try to “smoke-out” the wildlife from the forest.
Ramcharan is calling on the public to observe the law and not to become reckless to endanger the lives of others.
He said his organisation will be conducting an education drive to make the public aware of the dangers of fires to the environment.
- Published: Jan 21, 2016, 9:31 am AST
- On: www.trinidadexpress.com
- By: Sandhya Santoo
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