Original article: Director de Conaf destaca aumento de recursos durante Gobierno de Boric: Tenemos más de $160 mil millones para combatir incendios
In an interview with CNN Chile, Rodrigo Illesca, the executive director of Conaf, emphasized the significant increase in funding for wildfire management during President Gabriel Boric’s administration.
«When President Boric took office, we had $60 billion for firefighting. Now we have over $160 billion,» Illesca pointed out, detailing that these funds can be utilized for «leasing aircraft, hiring brigades, and acquiring machinery for wildfire combat.»
«It’s important to note that we have a staggered entry of resources, meaning we start in September with the first brigades where wildfires begin, primarily in the Metropolitan Region, advancing until December 31 with 319 brigades available,» stressed the Conaf director.
As reported by El Ciudadano, the government unveiled the 2025-2026 Action Plan focused on prevention, mitigation, and control of wildfires in early October.
During this presentation, Agriculture Minister Ignacia Fernández highlighted the tangible advancements made over the past four years: «For the 2021-2022 season, there was a budget of $75 billion. Now we have over $160 billion for wildfire combat, representing an increase of over 110% in available resources.»
«This is evident in very concrete matters, such as having a greater number of brigades, increasing from 252 to 319 brigades. In terms of aircraft, we went from 62 to 77. For prevention, the technical teams grew from 155 to 229 members, which signifies a 48% increase in the technical teams dedicated to preventive tasks,» the minister emphasized.
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