Wildfire Spreads Through Tierra Verde's Protected Forest

A wildfire that began in the protected forest reserve near the town of Encarnación on August 13 has grown to cover more than eight hundred hectares, forcing the evacuation of three smallholder communities and threatening the region's sustainable forestry operations. As of Wednesday morning, the blaze remained uncontained, driven by persistent drought conditions and winds from the southwest. Regional authorities have requested federal assistance with aerial firefighting capacity, which Tierra Verde does not possess.

The fire marks the region's most serious wildfire in a decade and arrives at a moment when Tierra Verde's cooperatives have been investing heavily in forest conservation and carbon-credit schemes. The protected zone that is now burning is part of a federal sustainable forestry program that generates income for smallholders through environmental service payments. The loss of even a portion of the reserve could disrupt those payments and undermine the region's ability to attract federal funding for land-management programs.

Governor Lucía Báez declared a state of emergency on Tuesday evening and activated the regional civil protection agency. She called for federal support in a statement to the Tierra Verde Regional Assembly, noting that the region lacks the aircraft and specialized personnel required for large-scale wildfire suppression. The Federal Interior Minister, Tomás Vidal, confirmed that federal resources would be deployed, though a timeline for their arrival remained unclear as of Wednesday morning.

The evacuation has affected approximately four hundred people, mostly smallholder farmers whose families have lived in the affected communities for generations. Local cooperatives have established temporary shelters in Encarnación and are coordinating with regional authorities to ensure evacuees have access to food, water, and medical care. The fire has also cut off the main highway connecting Encarnación to San Vicente, forcing traffic to take a longer inland route.