We are sad to report that last week in Sainte Luce, there was a devastating bush fire. Though thought to be accidental, this fire burned through several kilometers of land, destroying multiple wetlands, forested areas, and with those, vital ecosystems, habitats, and resources. We are awaiting further details from our team on the ground to understand the full magnitude of this situation and the impact that this will have on those who depend on the area for food and livelihoods. What we do already know is that the fire will severely impact the livelihoods of so many women in Sainte Luce who were especially dependant on two of the affected wetlands to collect mahampy reeds for household income, including the weavers we work with through our Project Mahampy. It is likely to present many additional challenges to their ability to earn an income through reed weaving, and has also burned through the wetlands which they had spent the last 6 months collecting research data on - a project designed to improve the sustainability of the mahampy reed resource. This fire is one of the most severe that Sainte Luce has seen in recent years, and yet, though hard to imagine, it could have been worse if it weren't for the firebreak constructed by our Project Ala team. Thanks to the firebreak running alongside Project Ala's 'S9' forest fragment, this fire was stopped in its tracks. As pictured above, you can see how close it got.