‘The forests are going up in flames

Wildfires are devastating Patagonia. In response, Argentinian authorities are removing environmental protections and raiding Indigenous communities. Soraya Maicoñio lives in Mallín Ahogado, a rural area in the Comarca Andina,a region of sparkling rivers, mountains, lakes and lush forests in Argentinian Patagonia. It is an area well-known for its small-scale agriculture, forestry and tourism.

Image Credit: the Guardian [Smoke rises from mountains]

In recent weeks, however, the region, which spans the provinces of Rio Negro and Chubut, has been in the news for its large-scale wildfires – and the authorities’ crackdown on the local population. Since January, more than 35,000 hectares (86,500 acres) of forest, farmland and pine plantations have burned. In recent days, several new fires have broken out on the eastern slopes of the Andes.

Image Credit: the Guardian [A dog stands in front of a burned house]

“The fire has been incredibly violent,” says Maicoñio, 52, a Mapuche singer and actor from Chubut. “More than 200 families lost their houses. We also lost orchards, vegetable gardens, animals, vehicles, workshops and cultural and educational spaces.”.

Image Credit: the Guardian [A queue of police cars]

Hundreds of residents have been evacuated. The southern hemisphere summer (between December and February) is the dry season in Argentina and Chile, favouring forest fires. Intense, arid winds from the Andes and temperatures above the normal range have worsened the situation.

Image Credit: the Guardian [A woman with a microphone sits between two men]

In 2021, under similar conditions of drought, high winds and temperatures, the region experienced wildfires that left three people dead, 500 homes destroyed and 14,000 hectares of forest burnt. But authorities in both provinces have stressed the criminal intent behind the fires, downplaying other factors such as the impact of increasing tourism, pine plantations or inadequate maintenance of the electricity infrastructure.

Image Credit: the Guardian [A gate next to a sign advertising the radio station]

While climate scientists believe rising temperatures increase the risk of wildfires, Argentina’s president Javier Milei has called called the climate crisis a “socialist lie.” Accordingly, his government is imposing budget cuts on its environmental agencies. In 2024, the National Fire Management System budget alone was cut by 81%.

Image Credit: the Guardian [An aerial view of burned trees]

Milei, who is facing his deepest political crisis yet amid allegations that he promoted a cryptocurrency market manipulation scheme, has dramatically transformed Argentina’s environmental policies during his first year in office. Environmental groups and community leaders have challenged his government’s decisions, often becoming targets of violence or surveillance as a result.

Image Credit: the Guardian [A gate on a dirt road]

In response to the wildfires, the response has been violent. Even before the outbreaks were under control, authorities identified guilty parties and made arrests. Early on 11 February, simultaneous raids were launched against Mapuche communities and households across Chubut. Search warrants listed molotov cocktails, accelerants and communications equipment. The raids resulted in one person, Victoria Núñez Fernández, being taken into custody and charged with an unrelated arson.

Image Credit: the Guardian [A protest, with people holding placards in Spanish]

In Pillán Mahuiza, 250km south of the fires, helicopters and snipers accompanied security forces to raids. At a press conference the following day, flanked by armed and masked special forces, Chubut’s minister of security and justice, Héctor Iturrioz, said they had prepared for an “armed confrontation” and “lethal traps”.

Image Credit: the Guardian [A woman stands resting on a gate in the countryside]

Mauro Millán, a prominent Mapuche organiser and community member, calls the statement absurd, saying it “recalls the Vietnam war”, not the area’s rural communities. He says that the “ongoing persecution” of the communities has created a climate of fear as further threats of evictions have been announced. “Not only are the forests going up in flames, so is the rule of law,” he says.

Mauro’s sister Moira, a leading Mapuche activist in Argentina, says the tactics used, including the confiscation of books, “recall the military dictatorship” – a reference to the brutal regime that lasted from 1976 to 1983. Also raided was one of the few Indigenous radio stations in the country, Radio Petü Mogeleiñ. The journalist Aymará Bares says “the police did serious damage” during the raid. With their equipment now broken or confiscated, “we aren’t able to broadcast, which is a serious violation of the rights of Indigenous peoples”.

The prosecutor’s office in El Bolsón declined to comment on the investigation “in order not to prejudice the case”, while the prosecutor’s office in Chubut referred to its website for further information. It acknowledged verifying evidence suggesting Núñez Fernández was not at the crime scene, but argued against her release, citing “flight risk” and “obstruction of the judicial process”.

Territorial conflicts have increased in the region as the state prioritises sectors such as mining, tourism and plantations. El Bolsón is the first municipality in Rio Negro to sign up to Milei’s Incentive Regime for Large Investments, a sweeping law that provides tax, legal and other incentives to multinational corporations for large projects in sectors such as mining, hydrocarbons, energy, forestry and tourism.