Jabal-Akhdar's fires threaten the green cover and the future of biodiversity.

Al-Bayda, May 26, 2025 (LANA) - Forest fires are occurring in the Jabal-Akhdar region at an alarming rate, raising renewed questions about their causes and prevention methods.

This phenomenon is considered one of the most serious environmental threats in Libya, as it leads to the destruction of natural habitats for wildlife and causes direct economic damage to local communities that rely on forest resources for agriculture, grazing, and ecotourism.

Forest fires are divided into two main types, according to Faris Fathi, Director of the Geographic Systems Department at the Ministry of Environment in the Libyan government appointed by representatives. He pointed out that the first type is caused by natural factors such as storms, high temperatures, and wind speed.

He added to Libyan News that the second type of fire, which is the most common, is caused by human activity, whether through deliberate ignition or negligent use of fires, such as unsafe disposal of cigarette butts or unsupervised open fires.

Ministry data indicates that fires resulting from natural causes often break out during the afternoon due to the high temperatures of the sun, which evaporate organic compounds from plants, facilitating ignition.

The recent increase in the number of fires at night, as witnessed in areas such as Shahat and Wadi al-Kuf, has raised suspicions of human intervention, whether intentional or the result of gross negligence.

=Lana=