At the end of May, the Paraná Association of Forest Based Companies (APRE) launched, in partnership with various agencies and institutions in the state, the 2023 Forest Fire Prevention and Combat Campaign. The slogan “We have no time to waste. We need to prevent forest fires now”, reinforces the message that prevention is the best path and that we are all responsible.

According to the president of APRE, Zaid Ahmad Nasser, the objective is to work on awareness. “To reduce risks and, at the same time, be able to act quickly in an emergency, we need to invest in prevention and information. We want to show that everyone is responsible for taking care of the environment. We know that even with this work, fires can still occur, and we need to be prepared. So, the campaign also acts in this part of bringing knowledge to people so that they know how to act when they see an outbreak”, he highlighted.

Nasser also recalled that programs for preventing and combating forest fires have been part of the calendar of forest companies for many years, and APRE and its associates have always sought to anticipate the problem, preventing the spread of fire to forest areas and communities in the surroundings. Actions include monitoring towers, trained people, brigade members, equipment and a communication channel with the surrounding community, in addition to a wide network of contacts between companies for monitoring and exchanging information and alerts.

“All this knowledge brought us baggage so that we could organize a state-wide campaign, because we understand that, together, we can develop an even more assertive work. Our goal is for information to reach as many people as possible and for this to help reduce the risk of forest fires and their consequences. Therefore, I can only thank each of the institutions that believed in the idea and are part of this project with APRE”, he declared.

Photo: learn