Fighting fire with fire
<p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="African">African</span> <span word="savannahs">savannahs</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="grasslands">grasslands</span>, <span word="wildfires">wildfires</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="either">either</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="destructive">destructive</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="beneficial">beneficial</span>. <span word="It">It</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="depends">depends</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="fires">fires</span> <span word="occur">occur</span>. <span word="Scientists">Scientists</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="World">World</span> <span word="Agroforestry">Agroforestry</span> <span word="Center">Center</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="developed">developed</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="system">system</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="determine">determine</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="best">best</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="set">set</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="savannahs">savannahs</span> <span word="ablaze">ablaze</span>.</p><p><span word="Savannahs">Savannahs</span> <span word="stretch">stretch</span> <span word="across">across</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="parts">parts</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Africa">Africa</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="scientists">scientists</span> <span word="concentrated">concentrated</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="research">research</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="grassland">grassland</span> <span word="conditions">conditions</span> <span word="similar">similar</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Sahel">Sahel</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="South">South</span> <span word="Sudan">Sudan</span>. <span word="When">When</span> <span word="wildfires">wildfires</span> <span word="spread">spread</span> <span word="uncontrolled">uncontrolled</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="heat">heat</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="flames">flames</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="cause">cause</span> <span word="damage">damage</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="several">several</span> <span word="levels">levels</span>.</p><p>“<span word="Many">Many</span> <span word="components">components</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="ecosystem">ecosystem</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="affected">affected</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="biodiversity">biodiversity</span> <span word="itself">itself</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="soil">soil</span> <span word="composition">composition</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="structure">structure</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="gas">gas</span> <span word="emission">emission</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="greenhouse">greenhouse</span> <span word="gas">gas</span> <span word="emission">emission</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="atmosphere">atmosphere</span>,” <span word="said">said</span> <span word="Cheikh">Cheikh</span> <span word="Mbow">Mbow</span>, <span word="senior">senior</span> <span word="climate">climate</span> <span word="change">change</span> <span word="scientist">scientist</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="World">World</span> <span word="Agroforestry">Agroforestry</span> <span word="Center">Center</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Nairobi">Nairobi</span>, <span word="Kenya">Kenya</span>.</p><p>“<span word="Fire">Fire</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="seen">seen</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="biggest">biggest</span> <span word="drivers">drivers</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="deforestation">deforestation</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="ecosystems">ecosystems</span>. <span word="And">And</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="contributes">contributes</span> <span word="widely">widely</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="reduction">reduction</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="ecosystem">ecosystem</span> <span word="services">services</span>, <span word="which">which</span> [<span word="are">are</span>] <span word="the">the</span> <span word="basis">basis</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="livelihoods">livelihoods</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Africa">Africa</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="poverty">poverty</span> <span word="conditions">conditions</span>. <span word="So">So</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="worrying">worrying</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="fire">fire</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="impacts">impacts</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="implications">implications</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="human">human</span> <span word="beings">beings</span>.”</p><p><span word="Fires">Fires</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="savannahs">savannahs</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="common">common</span>.</p><p>“<span word="If">If</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="look">look</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="African">African</span> <span word="images">images</span> <span word="from">from</span> [<span word="a">a</span>] <span word="satellite">satellite</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="dry">dry</span> <span word="season">season</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="appears">appears</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="ecosystem">ecosystem</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="level">level</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="dryness">dryness</span>, <span word="will">will</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="fires">fires</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="regular">regular</span> <span word="basis">basis</span>. <span word="There">There</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="attempts">attempts</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="past">past</span>, <span word="since">since</span> <span word="colonial">colonial</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="actually">actually</span>, <span word="to">to</span>, <span word="sort">sort</span> <span word="of">of</span>, <span word="ban">ban</span> <span word="fire">fire</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="ecosystem">ecosystem</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="never">never</span> <span word="succeeded">succeeded</span>. <span word="They">They</span> <span word="never">never</span> <span word="succeeded">succeeded</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="fire">fire</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="tool">tool</span>,” <span word="said">said</span> <span word="Mbow">Mbow</span>.</p>
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