Propuesta de perfiles de proyectos de gestión para la prevención de incendios forestales en los Cerros Orientales de Bogotá

Abstract

The present investigation allowed formulating profiles of management projects for the prevention in threat zones of wildfires in the “Reserva Forestal Protectora Bosque Oriental de Bogotá”. The study area is composed by one of the great mountain ranges of the orographic system and part of the Main Ecological Structure of the Capital District; it is consolidated as an ecological corridor that facilitates the connection with the Chingaza and Cruz Verde - Sumapaz National Natural Parks. The reserve has an approximate area of 13142.11 hectares (from 2,650 to 3,600 meters above sea level), being geographical barrier to the Sabana de Bogotá and its surrounding municipalities. For the formulation of prevention project profiles, first, the methodology of the “Instituto de Hidrología, Meteología y Estudios Ambeintales – IDEAM” was used "Protocol for the realization of fire risk zoning maps of the vegetation cover at a scale of 1: 100000", where were found the áreas with the most prone to wildfire, based on the analysis of the susceptibility factor of the vegetation to fires, which from the sum of the type, duration, and fuel load factors, the weather factor (precipitation - temperature), the relief factor (slopes), the historical factor (fire frequency) and the accessibility factor (access roads). In addition, surveys and interviews were carried out to find out the point of view of the population that may be affected by this event and the degree of perception of danger when being close to areas threatened by wildfire. Finally, once the areas and socio-cultural conditions of civil society had been identified, projects focused on community participation, education, and environmental restoration of the affected areas were designed. The evaluated threat variable shows that the area of the “Reserva Forestal Protectora Bosque Oriental de Bogotá” is categorized with a "high" threat with a percentage of 71.79 of the area and "very high" with a value of 15.55%. evidencing that these categories coincide with the superior categories ("very high" and "high") of slopes, historical factors, temperature and precipitation. Additionally, the "moderate" threat zones have 12.18%, concentrated in the center of the reserve and the "very low" and "low" categories accumulate only 0.58% of the total area, grouped into small remnants, which are located in the village of San José in the city of Choachí. According to the surveys and interviews carried out, the present investigation was concluded that the majority of those interviewed have witnessed more than one wildfire near their home and know how to act in the face of this threat. anthropic, which have been georeferenced in the cities of San Cristóbal, Usme and Chapinero. Once the threat factors had been quantified and interpreted with the information obtained from the surveys and interviews, the vegetation cover and ecosystems most affected by forest fires were evidenced, which allowed the formulation of community participation projects, prevention of wildfires (environmental restoration) and environmental education, considering social intervention as the most important factor for the prevention of fires, since most of them are caused by anthropic activities, which allows a change in the perpective of the community and transform its cultural habits and norms of coexistence not only with society but also with the environment. Thus, the prevention management projects set out above are oriented towards community participation and education, which are strategic in nature by transforming the social and cultural attitude through a change of values aimed at prevention, at the rationality of the culture of fire and raise awareness about the responsibility of acting mutually in the prevention, control and extinction of forest fires.