LA PAZ, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Bolivia has begun to coordinate international aid to put out fires eating away at its Amazon rainforest, Minister of Foreign Affairs Diego Pary said on Monday.
More than a million hectares of Amazon land in Bolivia have been razed since the fires broke out.
"We have been in contact with Peru, Chile, Argentina, France, Germany, Spain, Russia, the United States and with international organizations," such as the Latin American Development Bank (CAF), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Pary told reporters.
Two helicopters arriving from Peru were expected in the next few hours to help combat the blaze in Chiquitania, where the fire has persisted despite dousing by a Supertanker plane.
Argentina was set to send a 40-member team of expert fire fighters, he said.
Meanwhile, France has proposed the creation of an alliance for the Amazon to ensure rapid response to any future fires, said Pary.
The Amazon, considered the lungs of the planet, is largely situated in Brazil, but parts of it lie in Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and other South American countries.
"We are activating another mechanism: a meeting with other countries affected by the fires. I am referring to Brazil, Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia, a meeting of foreign affairs and environment ministers to tackle actions to combat forest fires," said Pary.
Peru and Paraguay have already agreed to attend the meeting, but Brazil has yet to confirm, he said.
