File:Fires and Smoke in Bolivia (MODIS).jpg

English: Thick smoke poured from widespread fires in Bolivia, clouding the skies and creating poor air quality in the provinces of Cochabamba, La Paz, and Santa Cruz in late October 2023.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the fires (red hot spots) and smoke-filled skies on October 25. Given the location, widespread nature, and time of year, it is likely that most of these fires have been set for agricultural purposes, including burning forest to make way for crops or pasture.

On October 25, the news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) reported that 3,650 schools (about 15 percent of the national total) have been closed until October 27 due to air pollution caused by massive forest fires. The worst-affected area is Santa Cruz, the most heavily populated region. AFP also reports that, according to the Environment Ministry, about two million hectares (4.9 million acres) of forest and grassland have burned this year.

A story published on October 25 by Agencia EFE, a Spanish news agency, stated that “Several legislators and environmental activists demanded on Wednesday that the Bolivian government declare a “national disaster” in light of the forest fires that have increased air pollution levels in the country’s main cities.” Environmental activists protested in La Paz, chanting “No soy and no coca, the forest must not be touched” as well as other slogans aimed at stopping deforestation. Soy and cocoa are two crops that EFE states are particularly linked to deforestation in South America.