Eco-lodges In Brazil, Costa Rica, And California Step Up Fire Prevention Efforts To Protect Wildlife And Tourism Amid Rising Fire Risks

Published on February 5, 2026

As nan wave of wildfires rises owed to ambiance change, eco-lodges and resorts successful fire-prone areas astir nan world are taking proactive steps to protect their properties, wildlife, and nan visitors who travel to acquisition these earthy wonders. From wildlife reserves successful Brazil’s Pantanal to luxury eco-lodges successful Costa Rica and California, tourism businesses are facing a caller reality successful which occurrence prevention has go a captious constituent of their operations. This is much than conscionable protecting infrastructure; it’s besides astir ensuring nan semipermanent wellness of ecosystems and wildlife habitats.

Wildfire Threat successful nan Pantanal: A Wake-Up Call for Eco-Tourism

In Brazil’s Pantanal, nan largest tropical wetland successful nan world and a premier destination for jaguar safaris, a catastrophic wildfire collapsed retired 1 sweltering August day, threatening some nan wildlife and nan livelihoods of nan group who run ecotourism businesses successful nan area. The occurrence quickly spread, devastating a immense area of nan 130,000-acre backstage reserve astatine Casa Caiman, an eco-lodge and wildlife refuge celebrated pinch tourists. The flames consumed captious habitats for a wide scope of wildlife, including jaguars, anteaters, and hyacinth macaws, forcing wildlife guides and unit into a frantic removal of nan lodge.

Once nan occurrence subsided, nan harm was extensive. Much of nan onshore was near covered successful ash, pinch plants captious to nan section animals destroyed. Among nan astir tragic losses was Gaia, a resident jaguar whose decease devastated nan Onçafari team, who had spent years monitoring her and her cubs. In response, Onçafari, a jaguar rehabilitation nonprofit based astatine nan lodge, created an emergency wildlife-aid task force. The squad group up h2o troughs and scattered fruits for nan displaced wildlife but acknowledged that nan task was overwhelming. The occurrence was a sadistic reminder of nan expanding occurrence risks that galore ecotourism businesses are facing.

As a result, Onçafari took swift action to forestall specified a disaster from occurring again. They now behaviour prescribed burns during nan bedewed play to trim barren brushwood and trained a occurrence brigade from their ain team, made up of safari section guides and drivers. This brigade, on pinch different trained staff, plays a captious domiciled successful containing fires earlier they tin spread. The inaugural reflects a larger inclination wherever tourism businesses are stepping up to mitigate occurrence risks and protect some quality and nan group who visit.

Costa Rica’s Rio Perdido: Building Fire-Fighting Infrastructure

In Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province, nan squad astatine Rio Perdido, a luxury eco-lodge surrounded by much than 1,400 acres of biodiverse barren forest, recovered themselves successful a akin position. The lodge, though luxurious, is located acold from national and section occurrence crews, who could return hours to scope nan distant location. Recognizing nan vulnerability of their land, nan squad established their ain occurrence brigade to respond to fires earlier they escalate.

With a unit of much than 20, including guides and waiters, Rio Perdido has conducted complete 170 hours of fire-simulation exercises successful collaboration pinch section occurrence authorities. In 2024, nan squad played a important domiciled successful containing a blaze that threatened to origin important harm to their property. The brigade not only focuses connected extinguishing fires but besides useful proactively to forestall them. Gabriel Saragovia, nan co-founder of nan resort, explains nan value of being capable to grip mini fires earlier they go large. Ecosystems for illustration their barren wood are slow to retrieve erstwhile damaged by fire, making proactive prevention captious to preserving nan area’s earthy beauty.

The creation of occurrence brigades wrong tourism businesses for illustration Onçafari and Rio Perdido is emblematic of nan increasing inclination among eco-lodges to return work for protecting their earthy surroundings. For these businesses, it is not conscionable astir safeguarding guests but maintaining nan integrity of nan landscapes and ecosystems that make their locations charismatic to visitors successful nan first place.

California’s Calamigos Ranch: A Long-Standing Commitment to Fire Prevention

In California, peculiarly successful areas for illustration Malibu, wildfires person been a longstanding interest for resorts. Calamigos Ranch, a edifice pinch a agelong history successful fire-prone Malibu, knowledgeable nan devastating effects of a wildfire successful 1978 erstwhile nan ranch was wholly destroyed. This calamity shaped nan Gerson family’s attack to occurrence safety. Today, nan ranch is known for its robust fire-suppression infrastructure, which includes pumps, reservoirs, and a civilization sprinkler strategy designed to support nan grounds safe during high-risk periods.

To trim nan consequence of occurrence outbreaks, nan ranch besides uses goats to graze down nan brush, an environmentally friends method to negociate vegetation. Their proactive attack paid disconnected during nan 2018 Woolsey Fire erstwhile nan ranch was capable to protect its spot and stay open, providing free meals to section first responders. With nan wave of wildfires increasing, nan unit is much prepared than ever to grip specified disasters, but they besides activity successful collaboration pinch section authorities to support firefighting efforts during captious times.

Technology and Innovation: Using AI to Combat Wildfires

In summation to creating occurrence brigades, galore tourism businesses are turning to exertion to assistance pinch wildfire prevention. Companies for illustration FortressFire usage outer imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) to place vulnerabilities successful properties that whitethorn beryllium astatine consequence of wildfire damage. In Napa and Sonoma counties, this work has been instrumental successful helping wineries prevention their structures from wildfires by offering insights connected wherever to make basal adjustments to protect their properties.

As occurrence seasons turn longer and much intense, eco-lodges and resorts crossed nan globe are recognizing nan captious value of being proactive alternatively than reactive erstwhile it comes to occurrence safety. From utilizing drones to show distant sections of properties to installing surveillance cameras for real-time occurrence watch, exertion is playing an progressively important domiciled successful protecting wildlife, guests, and nan land.

The Future of Eco-Tourism successful a Fire-Prone World

The tourism manufacture is learning that disaster preparedness is not only nan work of section authorities but besides of nan businesses that trust connected these ecosystems. By adopting a operation of accepted firefighting techniques, for illustration prescribed burns, and cutting-edge technology, eco-lodges and resorts are improving their resilience to wildfires.

Whether done dedicated occurrence brigades, AI-driven occurrence models, aliases organization collaboration, nan attraction is clear: occurrence information is simply a corporate effort that requires preparation, collaboration, and a heavy respect for nan land. As nan ambiance situation intensifies and occurrence risks increase, nan tourism industry’s domiciled successful preserving these earthy habitats for early generations has ne'er been much crucial.

In nan coming years, nan tourism manufacture will apt spot much finance successful fire-resilient infrastructure, unit training, and community-wide collaborations to protect valuable ecosystems and nan businesses that trust connected them. These initiatives not only guarantee that visitors tin proceed to bask these stunning landscapes but besides supply a exemplary for different industries to travel successful nan conflict against ambiance alteration and its devastating effects.

Conclusion

From Brazil to California and Costa Rica, eco-lodges and resorts are taking connected nan work of wildfire prevention and suppression, not only to protect their properties but besides to protect wildlife and ecosystems captious to nan world’s biodiversity. As nan effects of ambiance alteration worsen, nan tourism manufacture is coming up pinch caller ways to protect nan earthy beauty that attracts millions of visitors each year. Even successful nan look of rising occurrence risks, nan early of ecotourism appears agleam pinch accrued preparedness and a shared committedness to sustainability.