Goats Helping Fight Wildfires in Santa Juana, Chile
Key Highlights :
In the southern Chilean city of Santa Juana, hit hard by wildfires earlier this year, locals have a special task force helping fight blazes: a herd of goats. The goats have already saved the native forest of the Bosques de Chacay once, preventing the park from being consumed by February forest fires—fueled by heatwaves and a punishing drought—that left dozens dead, thousands injured and almost 440,000 hectares destroyed in south-central Chile.
Rocio Cruces, cofounder of the 16-hectare (40-acre) park, and "Buena Cabra," a project that uses goats to build firebreaks, said that the park was surrounded by fires, but it ended up being the only green spot left. The technique, also used in Portugal and Spain, relies on grazing goats to control dry pastures and other vegetation that fuel forest fires in the summer. Goat droppings also help enrich the soil and prevent further erosion.
Cruces started the project after deadly wildfires in 2017. Her flock has since grown from 16 goats to 150 and she hopes to inspire others to follow suit. Francisco Di Napoli, a forestry engineer from the University of Concepcion in Chile who is familiar with the technique, known as "strategic grazing," said that "In Chile we are failing in fire prevention." He added that other organizations should "evaluate where it can be applied, find where there's fuel and have the goats eat it."
The goats of Santa Juana have proven to be an effective firefighting tool, and their presence has had a positive impact on the local ecosystem. Not only do they help reduce the risk of forest fires, but they also help to enrich the soil and prevent further erosion. The goats have become an invaluable asset to the community, and their success serves as a model for other organizations to follow.
