The Costa Rican government has invested for the first time in necessary equipment and tools for the prevention and control of forest fires.

The purchase of 15 “rapid intervention” Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles will allow firefighters to prevent and extinguish wildfires in the protected areas, these vehicles have the capacity to carry 125 gallons of water and are commonly used by rural fire services, they are also equipped with chainsaw, waterpump, winch, communication system, and are specially designed for difficult terrains.

With an investment of 807 million colones (around U.S. $1.4 million), these cars were part of the Investment Plan “Prevention and attention of wildfire emergencies for the protection of biodiversity in Natural Conservation Areas”, also, as part of this plan, the firefighters now have new personal protection equipment, a total of 600 uniforms were purchased including special boots, head gear and flashlight made with specific materials and design as established by the National Fire Protection Association, these had a cost of 230 million colones (approximately U.S. $402,500).

In 2017 wildfires affect a total of 25,459 hectares, going down considerably from the 56,139 hectares affected un 2016; as a matter of fact, 2017 was the year with lower affected area registered for the past 6 years. In total, firefighters handled 73 wildfires, 42 in Wildlife Protected Areas and 31 in private properties and Natural Heritage Areas.

The wildfire season has began already this 2018, usually the most affected areas in Costa Rica are Guanacaste, followed by Puntarenas and San Jose in a third place.

The main causes of wildfires include slash-and-burn agricultural practices, vandalism and hunting, negligence or intentional acts of arson.