Climate change impacts undermine the work of promotores, rural community health workers. Disaster preparedness includes ensuring communities are accessible during and after emergencies. We incorporate this into our Community Emergency Response Team training.
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/health-workers-navigate-climate-change-bolivian-amazon
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Bolivia is experiencing rising climate emergencies—from extreme heat and drought to floods and wildfires. Friends of Mother Earth, in partnership with CERT Latin Global, is launching Bolivia’s first Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Train-the-Trainer Program in early 2026. This landmark initiative will certify 12 local leaders from six departments to build the country’s first community-led emergency response network.
‘The Ecological Economy, Biomímesis, and the Prevention of Fires’ was the title of a presentation given by Christian Stalberg at the International Seminar on Fires hosted by the Agro-Environmental Court of Bolivia held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on November 21, 2025.
Stalberg’s presentation explained how ecological economics, biomimicry, and fire prevention can jointly protect forests in the Santa Cruz Chiquitanía while supporting sustainable livelihoods. Ecological economics promotes income based on regenerative, forest-friendly activities such as agroforestry, non-timber forest products, and localized circular economies that reduce the need for deforestation. Biomimicry offers design strategies inspired by rainforest systems—including multilayer agroforestry, natural moisture retention, and fire-resistant landscape patterns. Fire prevention combines community-led brigades, Indigenous knowledge, fuel-load reduction, and improved land-use planning to stop fires before they start. Together, these three approaches reinforce one another, creating resilient ecosystems, sustainable livelihoods, and safer communities.
The fire advances uncontrollably within the Municipal Protected Area of Lower Paraguay, destroying the royal palm in a large scale and is already 200 meters away from the management plan of Asaí.
Community brigades and soldiers fight day and night to stop the flames, but they face a severe shortage of
equipment,
water,
ropes,
fuel and
food.
el This forest is home to a rich biodiversity and sustenance for the communities that collect and process the asaí.
Emergency is critical and support is urgent.
If you can collaborate, contact
Accumulation center: Paraguá neighborhood, Lázaro de Ribera street #3025
We can learn from Afro-descendants about their relationship with Mother Earth. Human habitat does not always have to be destructive. 
https://phys.org/news/2025-07-deforestation-afro-descendant-amazon-countries.html
https://revistanomadas.com/extractivismo-y-neoextractivismo-en-la-bolivia-de-las-elecciones-2025/
Note that #1 in this article is Cargill operating in Bolivia.
The fires get out of control and can quickly spread into communities. These communities have no effective early warning system nor means of firefighting available to them. This is what Amigos de la Tierra Madre is working to change.
