ASE and National Parks advance technology to detect wildfires in protected areas

Fundación Argentina ASE signed a framework cooperation agreement with Argentina's National Parks Administration to implement the Wildfire Early Detection Project. The central objective is to optimize and reduce response times in imminent or risky scenarios, strengthening the protection of natural areas of high environmental value.

The agreement represents a strategic step for an initiative promoted by the Foundation for several years. Its direction is clear: to incorporate technology, environmental information and institutional cooperation in order to improve prevention and response capacity in territories where fire can severely affect biodiversity, soils, water, infrastructure and communities.

National Parks play a decisive role in preserving Argentina's natural heritage. The national system includes 39 parks covering more than four million hectares, equivalent to 8% of the country's surface. These territories protect ecosystems, landscapes, species and natural processes that are fundamental for present and future generations.

During the signing of the agreement, the National Parks Administration emphasized that early detection is key to improving conservation and mitigating the devastating impact of fire. It also highlighted the importance of collaboration between public and private organizations to strengthen monitoring and rapid-response capacities across the national territory.

Fundación Argentina ASE presented the agreement as a strategic step toward preserving natural heritage through concrete tools. Technology appears here as an ally of conservation: it does not replace territorial presence or local knowledge, but it makes it possible to anticipate risks, organize information and act with greater precision.

The project's methodology will be based on the deployment of a network of smart sensors designed to collect environmental information in real time. This network will include weather sensors, fire-identification cameras, CO2 concentration sensors and soil humidity and temperature sensors, with the aim of detecting active fire and predicting preventive alert patterns.

The pilot test will be implemented in Ciervo de los Pantanos National Park, located in the district of Campana. The area covers 5,561 hectares, was created in 2018 on the basis of the Otamendi Natural Reserve and holds Ramsar and AICA recognition. Its ecological value makes it a relevant setting for validating monitoring and prevention tools.

For ASE, this agreement expresses a concrete way to connect environment, sustainability, ecosystems and sustainable human development. Wildfire prevention in protected areas requires data, sensors, coordination, community training and institutional decisions capable of acting before an environmental threat becomes irreversible damage.