Since late 2022, Mikel Konate has been deeply involved in this long-term project examining the complex web of factors behind the emergence of megafires —catastrophic events reshaping landscapes and threatening communities worldwide. He led this project under the banner of Sonda Internacional, collaborating with fellow journalists to produce comprehensive coverage through in-depth reports and expert interviews until 2024, and continues to develop it independently. During summer seasons, Konate embeds with firefighting crews on the front lines, providing first-hand documentation of their crucial work and the challenges they face.
Through careful documentation and investigative journalism, the project explores a confluence of factors — including widespread rural abandonment, shifts in traditional land use practices, overly restrictive administrative measures, the near elimination of traditional fire use, and the absence of cohesive, long-term policy frameworks — that contribute to the emergence of unprecedented fire dynamics. Once an essential tool for land management and ecosystem maintenance, the systematic suppression of fire has disrupted natural cycles and enabled excessive fuel accumulation, amplifying the scale and intensity of wildfires and rendering conventional suppression techniques increasingly ineffective.
The project combines visual storytelling with scientific research to show how these interconnected factors, with climate change acting as a powerful catalyst, are creating conditions that favor the development of increasingly frequent and severe wildfires. By presenting diverse content, this work explores not only their causes and consequences but also the psychological impact on affected communities and explores possible viable solutions. Through collaboration with academics, experts, forest managers, rural communities, and firefighting professionals, this long-term project provides a comprehensive view of one of the most significant environmental challenges of our time.
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