Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC)

Joint Meeting of the Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network International Liaison Committee (ILC) Fire Management Actions Alliance Advisory Group

4-6 and 7 July 2008, Freiburg,

Background Materials (I)

Joint Meeting of the Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network International Liaison Committee (ILC) Fire Management Actions Alliance Advisory Group

4-6 and 7 July 2008, Freiburg, Germany

Table of contents (I)

1. Agenda (6 p)

2. WFAG Member List (proposed update – July 2008) (14 p)

3. GWFN Status Paper (April 2008) (26 p)

4. GFMC Calendar 2006-2008 (22 p)

5. GFMC Bulletins 2006-2008 (32 p)

6. UN-ECE/FAO International Forest Fire (IFFN) News Special Issue on International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management (96 p)

7. Global Outreach: First reports of GWFN / Regional Wildland Fire Network published in “Crisis Response” (8 p)

Joint Meeting of the Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network International Liaison Committee (ILC) Fire Management Actions Alliance Advisory Group 4-6 and 7 July 2008, Freiburg, Germany

Agenda

Background, Rationale and Objectives of the Meeting

The Wildland Fire Advisory Group is serving as an advisory body to the United Nations system and is operating under the auspices of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). The group includes members of civil society and agencies of countries organized in Regional Wildland Fire Networks / Global Wildland Fire Network, as well as members of international organizations (UN, non UN). For details: See WFAG Member List (Status: 30 April 2008) on WFAG website: http://www.unisdr.org/eng/task%20force/tf-working-groups4-eng.htm

The Wildland Fire Advisory Group is supporting the work of the International Liaison Committee of the International Wildland Fire Conferences. The 4th International Wildland Fire Conference concluded, among other (Annex):

• The UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network, the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and the Secretariat of the global network, the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), be supported by national agencies and international donors aimed at fostering international cooperation in fire management, including collecting and disseminating fire information, arranging and enhancing international policy dialogue, and supporting projects; • A series of Regional Consultations tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Regional Solutions for Fire Management” – be held globally, within the next 1-2 years, to progress the global issues that are impacting people, resources and livelihoods; • The 2nd International Wildland Fire Summit – tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Fire Management Solutions for Mitigation and Adaptation” – be held within the next 2 to 4 years under the auspices of the United Nations and partners.

Whereas the larger financial support for the Global Wildland Fire Network is not yet in place, there is a need to address the second and third recommendation.

The meeting will provide opportunity to discuss the necessary steps to be taken. Besides a presentation of the status of the fire situation in the regions the following items will be presented and discussed: - Activities of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks 2007-2011, notably the Regional Consultations to address “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Regional Solutions for Fire Management” - Creation of a sub-regional network in the European Alpine region - Discussion about the options for a 2nd International Wildland Fire Summit - Status of the Fire Management Actions Alliance (a business meeting for the Actions Alliance Advisory Group will be conducted separately without involving the whole WFAG group) - Financing of the outreach activities of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks - 5th International Wildland Fire Conference (South Africa, 2011) (a business meeting for the ILC will be conducted separately without involving the whole WFAG group, on 7 July 2008) - Status and prospects for the Global Wildland Fire Early Warning System - Global Wildland Fire Assessment 2010 (ground – with FAO, Space with GOFC-GOLD) - The Rosersberg Initiative – towards improvement of preparedness to and governance in responding to environmental emergencies, including , through international cooperation - Other topics to be added, general discussion

Outputs of the Meeting

The meeting outputs will include: - Definition of priorities of actions of the Regional / Global Wildland Fire Network / Wildland Fire Advisory Group for the timeframe 2008-2011 - Proposal for enhanced financing / co-financing of the networks - Proposal for a 2nd International Wildland Fire Summit - Reflections and recommendations concerning the Global Wildland Fire Early Warning System and the Global Wildland Fire Assessment 2010 - Agenda for the contribution of the Global Wildland Fire Network to the “Rosersberg Initiative” - Statement of the Meeting on Global Change and Wildland Fire prepared.

Furthermore, the ILC will agree on a strategic plan for the preparation of the 5th International Wildland Fire Conference (South Africa, 2011).

Venue, Date and Logistics

The meeting will be held at the Fire Ecology Research Group / Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), at Freiburg University Airport Campus, Freiburg, Germany, on the weekend 4-6 July 2008. For information on hotel location, transport to Freiburg from and to Frankfurt and Basel airports, please see the separate logistic sheet, or: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/about3.html. Registration form have been submitted by attendees. A registration fee will cover the basic expenses for catering of joint coffee breaks and snacks (cf. logistics sheet).

Draft Programme

Friday 4 July 2008

14:15-14:30 Opening address by Mr. Johann G. Goldammer, Convener

14:30-16:00 Network Presentations (I) Reports from the Regional Wildland Fire Networks (ca. 20 min. each)

North America - The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc - A Risk Management Partnership Based on Interagency Cooperation" (Dennis Brown, CIFFC) - Major fire issues in the U.S.A. 2006-2008 (Dale Dague, USDA FS) - Reports of the NAFC Fire Management Working Group (Bill de Groot, CFS) - International Cooperation with Australasia and other countries (Denny Truesdale, USDA FS)

Australasia - Major fire issues in Australia and New Zealand 2006-2008 and report on AFAC / CRC activities (James Lonergan, NSW Department of Environment)

16:00-16:30 Coffee Break

16:30-18:30 Network Presentations (II)

South America - Major fire issues and Networking in South America 2006-2008 (Patricio Sanhueza, CONAF, Chile)

Mesoamerica - Major fire issues and Networking in Mesoamerica 2006-2008 (Luis Diego, SINAC-MINAE / CONIFOR, Costa Rica)

Caribbean - Major fire issues and Networking in the Caribbean 2006-2008 (Marcos Pedro Ramos, Universidad de Pinar del Río, Cuba)

Europe / Mediterranean - Major fire issues and networking in the Euro-Mediterranean Region, including North Africa and Near East 2006-2008 (Ricardo Vélez; FAO Silva Mediterranea; Pieter van Lierop; FAO; N.N., JRC, European Commission)

Southeast / Caucasus - Major regional fire and networking issues 2006-2008 (Nikola Nikolov, Faculty of Forestry, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia)

Europe / Alpine - Major fire issues in the Euro-Alpine Region: Rationale for the creation of a specific Alpine Wildland Fire (Sub-) Network Activity in Europe (Hartmut Gossow, University of Agricultural Sciences, Vienna, Austria)

18:30 Wrap up of Day 2

18:45 Joining the Summer Party of Freiburg University; alternatively icebreaker i.a.w. weather conditions

Saturday 5 July 2008

10:00-11:20 Network Presentations (III)

South Asia - Major fire issues and networking in South Asia 2006-2008 (Sundar P. Sharma, Ministry of Water Resources, Nepal)

Northeast Asia - Major fire issues and networking in North East Asia 2006-2008 (Dong Hyun Kim, Korea Forest Research Institute, Seoul, South Korea)

Central Asia - Major fire issues and networking in Central Asia 2006-2008 (Leonid Kondrashov, Pacific Forest Forum, )

Baltic Region and Russia - Major fire issues and networking in the ECE Baltic Region / Russian Federation 2006-2008 (Nikolay Kovalev, Eduard P. Davidenko, Johann G. Goldammer, GFMC)

Note: A presentation on Southeast Asia will be provided by the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC staff will not be able to attend the meeting and apologizes)

11:20-12:50 Coffee Break

11:50-13:00 Network Presentations (IV)and 5th International Wildland Fire Conference

South Africa - Major fire issues and networking in Subsahara Africa 2006-2008 (Alexander C. Held, AfriFireNet) - Short information on the status of preparation of the 5th International Wildland Fire Conference (South Africa, 2011) (Alexander C. Held, AfriFireNet)

Note: This presentation will precede a specific side meeting of the ILC on 7 July 2008.

14:00-15:30 Thematic Issues / Cooperation with International Organizations (I)

International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) - Decisions and ongoing projects concerning ITTO’s activities in forest protection (John Leigh, ITTO)

International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (CTIF) - Recent initiatives of the CTIF Forest Fires Commission, including the EuroFire project (Mark Jones, CTIF Forest Fires Commission)

13:00-14:00 Lunch

14:00-15:30 Thematic Issues / Cooperation with International Organizations (II)

UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) - Recent developments and prospects of the Multi-Hazard Global Early Warning System (Douglas Pattie, UNISDR Platform for Promotion of Early Warning)

International Consortium for the Development of the Global Early Warning System for Wildland Fire - Status report on the development of the proposed Global Early Warning System for Wildland Fire (Bill de Groot, CFS)

Global Wildland Fire Assessment - Basic discussion on procedures with GOFC-GOLD

15:30-16:00 Coffee Break

16:00-18:00 Thematic Issues / Cooperation with International Organizations (III)

The Rosersberg Initiative (UN OCHA / AGEE) - Towards improvement of preparedness to and governance in responding to environmental emergencies, including wildfires, through international cooperation (Johann G. Goldammer, GFMC)

Financing of the outreach activities of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks - UN ISDR Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction: Resources mobilization for the envisaged „Regional scenarios on the expected impacts of global change, notably , on altering fire regimes and increasing vulnerability of ecosystems to altered fire regimes” (Johann G. Goldammer, GFMC)

18:00 Wrap up of Day 2

Visit of Freiburg Summer Wine Festival

Sunday 6 July 2008

- Field trip to the Experimental Station of the Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Freiburg University, in the Black Forest - Presentation “Cultural and Fire History in the Black Forest and Central Europe” (Johann G. Goldammer, GFMC) - Final discussions, conclusions and wrap-up of the meeting, including WFAG business (new membership approval)

Monday 7 July 2008

Business side meetings of ILC (preparation of 5th International Wildland Fire Conference) and the Fire Management Actions Alliance Advisory Group (at GFMC building)

4th International Wildland Fire Conference Sevilla, 17 May 2007

Conference Statement As agreed by the Representatives of 13 Regional Wildland Fire Networks and Participants of the Joint Regional Sessions

The 4th International Wildland Fire Conference was held in Sevilla, Spain, 14-17 May 2007. The conference was held under the auspices of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Commission and hosted by the Government of Spain and the Regional Government of Andalusia. The conference brought together 1531 participants from 88 countries from throughout the world, representing government organizations and civil society from all regions of the world, the United Nations and other international organizations.

The participants of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference presented the state-of-the art in fire science, fire management and fire management training in all continents. A commercial exhibition provided insight in innovative fire management technologies, including fire detection, monitoring, suppression, and and public health and safety. A number of organizations and international associations involved in the wildland fire arena held side meetings and recommended enhancing the international dialogue.

The FAO and partners presented progress in the development of a Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management, requested by the Ministerial Meeting in 2005. The Strategy is being progressed through a multi-stakeholder process and includes a Global Assessment of Fire Management, a Review of International Cooperation and Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines. During the Conference, and as part of the Strategy, the Fire Management Actions Alliance was launched to promote, implement and update the Voluntary Guidelines. At the time of the launching event 35 partners – national agencies, universities and international organizations – had signed up to the Alliance.

Fire management specialists, many of them organized and cooperating in Regional Wildland Fire Networks, reported the state of the fire situation in their home countries and in the 13 regions. With reference to the global developments impacting on the fire situation in the regions of the world, the national and regional analyses of the fire situation and a self-assessment of fire management capabilities, the representatives of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and the participants of the joint regional sessions recognized the global issues impacting on fire occurrence and the consequences of fire on the environment and humans in the regions of the world, notably the

• Demographic changes resulting in alterations of sustainable fire regimes, e.g. the consequences of rural exodus or – vice-versa – exurban migrations, coupled with a loss of traditional, sustainable land-use systems; • Widespread poverty associated with unemployment, exurban migrations and land tenure conflicts and resulting in increasing human-caused fires; • Land-use change involving increasing fire use for conversion of vegetation, notably in the tropics, and expansion of land use to fire-sensitive lands, e.g., peatlands, drained or otherwise desiccating wetlands, and other fire-sensitive vegetation; • Increasing costs of fire suppression; • Expansion of the wildland-urban interface in some countries and increasing vulnerabilities and greater exposure of rural settlements to increasing occurrence of severely damaging fires; • Consequences of, and the contribution to, climate change, resulting in increasing occurrence of extreme in most regions, desiccation of wetlands, thawing of permafrost sites, and a general trend of increasing area burned, fire intensity, fire severity, and longer fire seasons; • Human health and security threatened by increasing activity and land-use fires causing release of a greater amount of pollutants and resulting in greater public exposure to hazardous emissions, including transboundary transport of fire smoke pollution at regional to global levels; • Human security and peace threatened by fires burning on radioactively contaminated lands, by fires on areas with unresolved conflicts, and on territories with post-war hazards such as landmines and unexploded ordnance.

Being cognizant of the global issues, as listed above, the representatives of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and the participants of the joint regional sessions agreed to the need to develop synergies through coordinated and collective action to address the most pressing problems related to fire management globally. Further the conference participants recommend that:

• The international wildland fire community pursue the development of a global-scale international resource sharing strategy to assist countries with fire management planning activities (including prescribed fire for ecological purposes and fuels management), and active support during periods of wildland fire; • The FAO promote the global adoption of Incident Command System (ICS) including the publishing of an annual list of countries which have implemented ICS; • Regional strategies for fire management be developed and designed to the specific needs of regions; • An international framework for fire management standards be developed and regional wildland fire training be supported, especially to meet the needs for capacity building in developing countries; • Scientific research programmes addressing the consequences of changes of climate, land use and land cover, and socio-economic changes on fire regimes, environment and society must be supported at all levels; • The Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management and the implementation of the Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines be encouraged and endorsed; • Agencies and groups be encouraged to participate in the Fire Management Actions Alliance in support of their adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines; • The UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network, the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and the Secretariat of the global network, the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), be supported by national agencies and international donors aimed at fostering international cooperation in fire management, including collecting and disseminating fire information, arranging and enhancing international policy dialogue, and supporting projects; • A series of Regional Consultations tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Regional Solutions for Fire Management” – be held globally, within the next 1-2 years, to progress the global issues that are impacting people, resources and livelihoods; • The 2nd International Wildland Fire Summit – tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Fire Management Solutions for Mitigation and Adaptation” – be held within the next 2 to 4 years under the auspices of the United Nations and partners.

The conference participants thanked the organizers and hosts of the conference for bringing together the international community responsible for wildland fire management. The participants welcomed the offer of South Africa to host the 5th International Wildland Fire Conference, tentatively in 2011.

UN-ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group

and

Global Wildland Fire Network

Coordinator and Secretariat:

Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), Freiburg, Germany

Draft Updated List of Members

Status: 04 July 2008

1 Members, UN-ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group (WFAG)

Updated Draft: 04 July 2008

Introductory Note

For detailed information on the Wildland Fire Advisory Group and the Global Wildland Fire Network see these regularly updated websites:

Wildland Fire Advisory Group (transition from ex ISDR-IATF Working Group on Wildland Fire) http://www.unisdr.org/eng/task%20force/tf-working-groups4-eng.htm

Global Wildland Fire Network http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/globalNet.html

Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/

Note: In 2008 the Global Wildland Fire Network will become a Thematic Platform within the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (http://www.preventionweb.net/globalplatform/index.html). This will be a main point of discussion at the upcoming meeting of WFAG at GFMC (tentatively 4-6 July 2008).

1. Core Group

The Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) (Coordinator / Secretariat)

Mr. Johann G. Goldammer The Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) Fire Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry c/o Freiburg University Georges-Koehler-Allee 75 79110 Freiburg GERMANY

Tel: +49-761-808011 Fax: +49-761-808012 Cell: +49-170-2347484 e-mail: [email protected]

ISDR Secretariat

Mr. Douglas Pattie Coordinator, UN/ISDR Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10 53113 GERMANY

Tel: +49-228-815-0301 Fax: +49-228-815-0399 e-mail: [email protected]

2 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Mr. Jim Carle Senior Forestry Officer (Plantations and Protection) Forest Resources Development Service Forestry Department FAO of United Nations Viale Delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome

Tel: +39-06-57055296 Fax: +39-06-57055137 e-mail: [email protected]

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Ms. Liisa Jalkanen Senior Scientific Officer WMO, AREP/ENV 7 bis, Avenue de la Paix Case Postale No. 2300 1211 Geneva 2 SWITZERLAND

Tel: +41-22-730 8587 Fax: +41-22-730 8049 e-mail: [email protected]

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) / European Forestry Commission

Mr. C.F.L. Kit Prins Chief, Timber Branch UN Economic Commission for Europe/Food and Agriculture Organization UNECE Trade Development and Timber Division Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10 SWITZERLAND

Fax: +41-22-917-0041 Tel: +41-22-917-2874 e-mail: [email protected]

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Mr. Glenn Dolcemascolo Post- Environmental Recovery Programme Disaster Management Branch United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) International Environment House 11-13, Chemin des Anémones CH-1219 Chatelaine, Geneva SWITZERLAND

Tel: +41-22-917-8448 Fax: +41-22-917-8988 e-mail: [email protected]

3 Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, Emergency Services Branch

Alternates:

Mr. Vladimir Sakharov Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, Emergency Services Branch Palais des Nations 1211 Geneva 10 SWITZERLAND

Tel: +41-22-917-1142 Fax: +41-22-917-0257 e-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Roy Brooke Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, Emergency Services Branch Palais des Nations 1211 Geneva 10 SWITZERLAND

Tel: +41-22-917-1817 Fax: +41-22-917-0257 e-mail: [email protected]

United Nations University (UNU)

Alternates:

Mr. Janos J. Bogardi Director, UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10 53113 Bonn Germany

Tel: +49-228-815-0201 Fax: +49-228-815-0299 e-mail: [email protected]

Ms. Katharina Thywissen Academic Officer, UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10 53113 Bonn Germany

Tel: +49-228-815-0209 Fax: +49-228-815-0299 e-mail: [email protected]

4 International Tropical Timber Organization

John Leigh Conservation Officer, Reforestation and Forest Management Division International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) International Organizations Center - 5F Pacifico-Yokohama 1-1-1 Minato-Mirai, Nishi-ku Yokohama 220-0012 Japan

Tel: +81-45-223-1110 Fax: +81-45-223-1111 E-mail: [email protected]

UN Conventions

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Mr. Manuel Guariguata Environmental Affairs Officer, Conservation Ecology Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity 393 Saint-Jaques Street Montréal, Québec H2Y 1N9 CANADA

Tel: +1-514-287-7009 Fax: +1-514-288-6588 e-mail: [email protected]

Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD)

Mr. Goodspeed Kopolo UN Convention to Combat Desertification UNCCD Secretariat Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10 D-53113 Bonn GERMANY

Tel: +49-228 / 815-2800 Fax: +49-228 / 815-2898/99 e-mail: [email protected]

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC)

Mr. Stylianos Pesmajoglou Leader, Analysis and Methods Team United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat Haus Carstanjen Martin-Luther-King-Str. 8 53175 Bonn GERMANY

Tel: +49-228-815-1000 Fax: +49-228-815-1999 e-mail: [email protected]

5 United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)

Mr. Mahendra Joshi Senior Programme Management Officer Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests Department of Economic and Social Affairs One UN Plaza, DC 1 - 1260 New York, NY 10017 U.S.A.

Tel: +1-212-963-1972 Fax: +1-917-367-3186 e-mail: [email protected]

World Health Organization (WHO)

Currently no expert available. Former WHO representative Dr. Schwela is listed as ad-hoc expert (see below).

2. Representatives of the Global Wildland Fire Network

Regional South East Asia Wildland Fire Network Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Alternates:

Mr. Raman Letchumanan Senior Officer Regional Haze Action Plan - Coordination and Support Unit ASEAN Secretariat 70 A, Jl. Sisingamangaraja, Kebayoran Baru Jakarta Selatan INDONESIA

Tel: +62-21-7262991 ext. 316 Fax: +62-21-723-0985 e-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Daniel Murdiyarso Department of Geophyics and Bogor Agricultural University Jl. Raya Pajajaran Bogor, 16143 INDONESIA

Fax: +62-251-622-100 Tel: +62-251-622-622 e-mail: [email protected]

6 Regional North East Asia Wildland Fire Network

Alternates:

Mr. Myung-Bo, Lee Director, Forest Fire Division Korea Forest Research Institute #207 Cheongryangni-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-712 REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Tel: +82-2-961-2771 Fax: +82-2-961-2746 e-mail: [email protected]

Regional Central Asia Wildland Fire Network

Mr. Leonid Kondrashov President, NGO Pacific Forest Forum P.O. Box 4/5 Khabarovsk-Center, 680 000 RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Tel/Fax: +7-4212-294983 e-mail: [email protected]

Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network

Mr. Sundar P. Sharma Soil Conservation Officer Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention (DWIDP) Kathmandu NEPAL

Currently to be contacted at the GMFC:

Tel: +49-761-808011 Fax: +49-761-808012 e-mail: [email protected]

Regional Sub-Sahara Africa Wildland Fire Network

Alternates:

Mr. Alex Held Forest Fire Association Bldg Office WoF Int / AfriFireNet Club Street, Nelspruit Airfield P O Box 19632 Nelspruit, 1200 SOUTH AFRICA

Tel: +27-13-741-7340 Fax: +27-13-745-7609 e-mail: [email protected]

7

Mr. Edward Mufandaedza Chief Conservator of Forests Forestry Commission Zimbabwe No 71 Fife Street P. Box 467 Bulawayo ZIMBABWE

Tel: +263-9-61495 Fax: +263-9-71133 Cell +263-9-11-862 169 e-mail: [email protected]

Regional South America Wildland Fire Network

Alternates:

Mr. Elmo Monteiro da Silva Junior Chief, National Forest Fire Prevention and Control Center (Centro Nacional de Prevenção e Combate aos Incêndios Florestais) Ministry for Environment Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA) SCEN Trecho 2 - Ed. Sede IBAMA Brasilia BRAZIL

Tel: +55-61-3316-1858 Fax: +55-61-3322-2066 e-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

Mr. Patricio I. Sanhueza Bravo Chief, Operations Section Department Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF) Av. Bulnes 285 of.201 Santiago CHILE

Tel: +56-2-390-0183 / 0180 / 0181 Fax: +56-2-390-0348 e-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Carlos Antonio Batista Forestry Department Federal University of Paraná Rua Lothário Meissner, 3400 - Jardím Botanico 80210-70 Curitiba, Paraná BRAZIL

Tel: +55-41-360-4230 Fax: +55-41-360-4231 e-mail: [email protected]

8 Regional Mesoamerica Wildland Fire Network (Red Mesoamerica de Incendios y Plagas Forestales)

Alternates:

Ms. Zaida del Carmen Zuñiga Moreno Departamento de Protección Forestal, Instituto Nacional Forestal (INAFOR) Km. 12 carretera Norte Managua NICARAGUA

Tel: +505-2330012 e-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Luis Diego Román Madriz Coordinador Programa Nacional de Manejo del Fuego - SINAC-MINAE Comisión Nacional sobre Incendios Forestales (CONIFOR) 1000 San José COSTA RICA

Tel: +506-256-0917 ext: 267 Fax: +506-256-2436 or 248-2451 e-mail: [email protected]

Regional Caribbean Wildland Fire Network

Alternates:

Mr. Raúl González Rodríguez Jefatura Nacional Cuerpo de Guardabosques Calle 2 # 610 e/ 25 y 27 Plaza de la Revolución C. de la Habana CUBA

Tel: +537-53 6183 Fax: +537-53 5079 e-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Marcos Pedro Ramos Rodríguez Universidad de Pinar del Río Apartado Postal 268 Pinar del Río 1 Código 20100 CUBA e-mail: [email protected]

9 Regional North America Wildland Fire Network

FAO North American Forestry Commission, Fire Management Working Group

Alternates:

Mr. William (Bill) De Groot Fire Research Scientist/Chercheur scientifique des feux Canadian Forest Service/Service canadien des forêts Great Lakes Forestry Centre 1219 Queen St. East Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario P6A 2E5 CANADA

Tel: +1-705-541-5538 Fax: +1-705-541-5701 e-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Brian J. Stocks Senior Research Scientist (Emeritus) Forest Fire and Global Change Wildfire Investigations Ltd. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario P6A 4V4 CANADA

Tel: +1-705-759-1201 e-mail: [email protected]

Also serving as coordinator of the International Liaison Committee (ILC) for the International Wildland Fire Conferences:

Mr. Denny Truesdale North American Forestry Commission Fire Management Study Group USDA Forest Service Washington U.S.A.

Fax: +1-202-205-1174 Tel: +1-202-205-1588 e-mail: [email protected]

Regional Australasia Wildland Fire Network / Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC)

Alternates

Mr. Rick Sneeuwjagt C.A.L.M. 70 Banksia TCE South Perth, Western Australia 6151 AUSTRALIA

Tel: +61-9-367-9831 Fax: +61-9-367-9913 e-mail: [email protected]

10 James Lonergan Manager, Fire Management Unit I Parks and Wildlife Group Department of Environment and Climate Change

Tel: +61-2 9585 6650 Fax: +61-2 9585 6525 Email: [email protected]

Mr. Murray Dudfield National Rural Fire Officer PO Box 2133 Wellington NEW ZEALAND

Tel: +64-4-496 3689 Fax: +64-4-478-1603 e-mail: [email protected]

South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC)

Mr. Gary Morgan Chief Executive Officer Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre Level 5, 340 Albert Street East Melbourne Victoria 3002 AUSTRALIA

Tel: +61-3-9412-9601 Fax: +61-3-9416-3717 e-mail: [email protected]

Regional Mediterranean Wildland Fire Network (FAO Silva Mediterranea)

Mr. Ricardo Vélez Chief, National Forest Fire Service and Coordinator, FAO Silva Mediterranea Fire Group General Direction of Nature Conservation Ministry of Environment Gran Via San Francisco, n° 4 28005 Madrid SPAIN

Tel: +34-91-366-5104 Fax: +34-91-365-8379 e-mail: [email protected]

11 Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network

Note: A representative of the Caucasus region has not yet been identified

Alternates

Mr. Nikola Nikolov Faculty of Forestry Bul. Aleksandar Makedonski b.b. 2000 Skopje REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Tel: +389-2-3135-033 Fax: +389-2-3164-560 e-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Vladimir Konstantinov Chief Expert on Forest Fires National Forestry Board Ministry of Agriculture and Forests 55, Hristo Botev Blvd. 1040 Sofia BULGARIA

Tel: +359-2-98511511 Fax: +359-2-981-3736 e-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Ðulijano Grum National Directorate for Rescue and Protection, Fire Service Nehajska 5 10000 Zagreb Croatia

Tel: +385-1-2391-553 / -550 Fax: +385-1-2391492 e-mail: [email protected]

12 Regional Baltic Wildland Fire Network

Alternates

Mr. Eduard P. Davidenko National Aerial Forest Fire Center of Russia Avialesookhrana Gorkogo St. 20 141200 Pushkino, Region RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Tel: +7-096-532-2585 Fax: +7-096-532-9220 e-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Johann G. Goldammer The Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) Fire Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry c/o Freiburg University Georges-Koehler-Allee 75 79110 Freiburg GERMANY

Tel: +49-761-808011 Fax: +49-761-808012 e-mail: [email protected]

European Commission

Mr. Guido Schmuck Mr. Jésus San-Miguel-Ayanz LUC-Natural Hazards, Institute for Environment and Sustainability EC Research Centre 21020 Ispra, Varese ITALY

Tel: +39-0332-785313 / 786138 Fax: +39-0332-785500 e-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

3. International Organizations (UN, non-UN)

Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) and Committee of Earth Observation Satellite (CEOS): Global Observation of Forest Cover/Global Observation of Landcover Dynamics (GOFC/GOLD)

Mr. Chris O. Justice Co-Chair, GOFC/GOLD Fire Mapping and Monitoring Team Department of Geography 2181 LeFrak Hall College Park, Maryland 20742 U.S.A.

Tel: +1-301-405-1600 Fax: +1-301-314-9299 e-mail: [email protected]

13 International Association of Fire and Rescue Services / Comité Technique International de Prévention et d'Extinction du Feu (CTIF)

Mr. Mark Jones Chairman, CTIF Forest Fire Commission Essex County Fire and Rescue Service Service Headquarters, Rayleigh Close Hutton, Brentwood, Essex, CM13 1AL

Tel: +44-1-227-222531 ext. 22212 e-mail: [email protected]

Science and Academia

Mr. Meinrat O. Andreae Director, Biogeochemistry Department Max Planck Institute for Chemistry PO Box 3060 55020 Mainz GERMANY

Tel: +49-6131-305420 Fax: +49-6131-305487 e-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Stephen J. Pyne Regents Professor, Human Dimensions Faculty School of Life Sciences Arizona State University PO Box 874701 Tempe, Arizona 85287-4701 U.S.A.

Tel: +1-602-938-8572 Fax: +1-602-938-3817 e-mail: [email protected]

Ad Hoc Expert

Impact of Vegetation Fire Emissions on Human Health

Mr. Dieter Schwela Stockholm Environment Institute University of York Sally Baldwin Buildings, D Block Heslington, York YO10 5DD UNITED KINGDOM

Tel: +44-1904-432-916 Fax: +44-1904-432-898 e-mail: [email protected]

14

THE GLOBAL FIRE MONITORING CENTER (GFMC) UN-ISDR WILDLAND FIRE ADVISORY GROUP GLOBAL W ILDLAND FIRE NETWORK

Johann G. Goldammer Coordinator

@ Fire Ecology Research Group Max Planck Institute for Chemistry Georges-Koehler-Allee 75 79110 Freiburg, Germany

Tel: +49-761-808011 Fax: +49-761-808012 [email protected]

Date: 1 April 2008

Status of Building the Global Wildland Fire Network through Regional Wildland Fire Networks

Date: 1 April 2008 1

1. Rationale for Setting up Regional Wildland Fire Networks

In many vegetation types of the world, the application of fire in agriculture and pastoralism and the occurrence of natural wildfires (natural fire regimes) are established (sustainable) elements in traditional land-use systems, natural ecosystem processes and biogeochemical cycles. However, excessive application of fire associated with rapid demographic and land-use changes in some regions, leads to destruction of productivity, reduction of carrying capacity and biodiversity of the vegetation cover. In some ecosystems, e.g. in the tropical montane forests, lowland forests and in forest plantations, wildfires burning under extreme weather conditions have detrimental impacts on economies, human health and safety, with consequences which are comparable to the severity of other natural hazards. Climate variability, such as periodic extreme droughts and extremely wet periods caused by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon and the associated La Niña episode, contribute to the severity of fire impacts. Fires are also leading to secondary natural disasters such as landslides and floods, downstream of fire-denuded landscapes.

Fire management strategies which include preparedness and early warning cannot be generalized due to the multidirectional and -dimensional effects of fire in the different vegetation types and the large variety of cultural, social, and economic factors influencing them.

However, unlike the majority of the geological and hydro-meteorological hazards, wildfires represent a natural but predominantly human-influenced hazard, which can be predicted, controlled and, in many cases, prevented.

The current state of wildland fire science and atmospheric sciences research of the last two decades potentially provide sufficient knowledge for fire management decision support and development of policies affecting the occurrence and consequences of human-caused fires. However, in many countries or localities, the requisite knowledge is either lacking or is not readily accessible for developing adequate measures in fire policies and management.

1 The first version of this Status Paper has been published on the GFMC website on 27 July 2002. This Status Paper is the 31st update.

The UN-ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group is a follow-up arrangement of the Working Group on Wildland Fire of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction. The work of the Advisory Group and the Global Wildland Fire Network are facilitated by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). The GFMC is an Associated Institute of the United Nations University (UNU). Websites with regularly updated information: http://www.unisdr.org/eng/task%20force/tf-working-groups4-eng.htm and http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/globalNet.html In response to the strategic goals of the UN Convention on Combat of Desertification (CCD), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF), the Millennium Declaration of the UN General Assembly, and the objectives of the work of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the UN-ISDR Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction in 2001 established a Working Group on Wildland Fire. This Working Group was coordinated by the GFMC.

One of the priority fields addressed by the Working Group on Wildland Fire was the establishment of, and operational procedures for, a global network of regional- to national-level focal points and network structures for early warning of wildland fire, fire monitoring and impact assessment, aimed at enhancing existing global fire monitoring capabilities and facilitation of international cooperation in fire management.

2. History, proposed Modus Operandi, Status and Visions for building the Regional Wildland Fire Networks

2.1 History

In keeping with the work of the Working Group on "Fire and Related Environmental Hazards" established under the IDNDR programme on Early Warning, the presentations and recommendations of the IDNDR Programme Forum 1999, and in accordance with the Framework for the Implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and its associated partner, the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) as well as the UN-FAO/ECE/ILO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, suggested, in 2000, to create an interagency "Working Group on Wildland Fire".

This proposal was in line with several declarations made in international conferences during the last five years and is intended to bring together both the technical members of the fire community and the authorities concerned with policy and national practices in wildland fire management to realise their common interests of fire risk management and disaster reduction at global scale. The Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction (IATF) at its second meeting on 11 October 2000 agreed to establish the Working Group on Wildland Fire (Working Group 4 [WG-4]).

Through the Working Group it was envisaged to establish an interagency and inter-sectoral forum of UN and other international agencies and programmes, and mechanisms of information and task sharing in the field of reducing the negative impacts of fire on the environment and humanity.

One of the priority fields of activity to be addressed by WG-4 was:

• Establishment of, and operational procedures for, a global network of regional- to national- level focal points for early warning of wildland fire, fire monitoring and impact assessment, aimed at enhancing existing global fire monitoring capabilities and facilitating the functioning of a global fire management working programme or network.

At the 2nd meeting of WG-4 (3-4 December 2001) it was decided to give priority to the establishment of the "Global Network of Regional Wildland Fire Networks".

It was aimed to build regional networks on existing formal or informal networks structures and initiatives. The “Global Wildland Fire Network” would consist of a set of Regional Networks that are in place or will be initiated during the process of formation. A regional network may consist of several subnets or cooperative activities, e.g. in wildland fire science, fire monitoring, early warning, management or policy development.

2 2.2 Endorsement by the International Wildland Fire Summit

The envisaged timeframe for setting up the network was January 2002 - July 2003. The 3rd Global Wildland Fire Conference and the International Wildland Fire Summit (Sydney, 3-6 and 8 October 2003) was used as a platform to convene representatives from regional networks.

The strategy agreed by the Summit (“Strategy for Future Development of International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management”) includes the following agreement:

“The Regional Wildland Fire Networks will be consolidated, developed and promoted through active networking in information sharing, capacity building, preparation of bilateral and multilateral agreements, etc. This process will be facilitated through regional Wildland Fire Conferences and Summits in cooperation with the International Liaison Committee and the UN-ISDR Working Group on Wildland Fire”.

For details of the preparation and outcomes of the International Wildland Fire Summit see: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/summit-2003/introduction.htm

2.3 Formation of the UN-ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group

As a side event of the International Wildland Fire Summit a meeting was held with the regional fire management groups mandated under the auspices of the UN (ISDR Working Group on Wildland Fire, ECE/FAO/ILO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, Fire Management Working Group, FAO North American Forestry Commission [NAFC] and the Forest Fire Group of FAO Silva Mediterranea). This was the first joint meeting of the four UN groups. A key output of the joint meeting was the recommendation to maintain a body under the auspices of the UN to enable the international community to maintain a unifying platform for the UN and jointly with non-UN groups and agreements.

The recommendation to maintain an advisory body for the UN must be understood i.a.w. the constitution of the IATF and the expected lifetime of a Working Group of ca. two to three years. Following these rules of the IATF the Working Group 4 on Wildland Fire finished its work by end of 2003 and transited to an active outreach programme, the Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN). To support the work of the GWFN the IATF accepted the proposal to create a Wildland Fire Advisory Group (WFAG) under the auspices of the ISDR. The WFAG represents an advisory body to the UN system aimed at providing technical, scientific and policy-supporting advice to the UN family through the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) and the IATF, and acting as a liaison between the United Nations system, the Global Wildland Fire Network and its supporting partners. The participation and support from following bodies is essential: UN agencies and programmes, other international organizations, non-government organizations, notably the IUCN-TNC-WWF Global Fire Partnership, government agencies, inter-governmental institutions and agreements, civil society, academia, the International Liaison Committee (ILC) of the series of International Conferences on Wildland Fire and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) (to act as convener and secretariat).

The “Work Programme for the IATF for 2004” reflects the overall intent to work together in the Global Wildland Fire Network and the Wildland Fire Advisory Group. This programme includes a table in which the outcomes and follow-up arrangements for the four Working Groups are summarized (see Table 1).

In the transition stage from WG-4 to the WFAG the GFMC continued to facilitate the dialogue and direct interaction between the partners involved. The GFMC continues working through the IATF as a member and representative of civil society, ensuring appropriate information flow from the Global Wildland Fire Network to the ISDR Secretariat and the IATF, and providing advisory support required for the mandate of the IATF.

3 Table 1. Extract of the final version of the “Work Programme for the IATF for 2004” released by the ISDR Secretariat on 23 November 2003.

WG focus Outcome end of 2003 Follow-up arrangements- 2004 2001-2003 WG4: Wildland International dialogue on cross-cutting Formation of a Wildland Fire Fire, chaired by: wildland fire issues fostered at UN inter- Advisory Group under the the Global Fire agency level and with international auspices of the ISDR-IATF and Monitoring organizations and civil society GFMC Center (GFMC) Establishment of Regional Wildland Fire ISDR / IATF endorsement and Networks, including inter-regional support of the Global Wildland cooperation Fire Network (IATF information updates to be provided)

GFMC-ISDR global wildland fire Cooperation with the ASEAN information system, web portal and Center for Emergency Response pragmatic outreach to user community and Strategic Planning for consolidated (including dedicated Environmental Disasters journal and book publications)

Support of preparation, facilitation and ISDR / IATF endorsement of the implementation of the first International outcomes of the International Wildland Fire Summit (October 2003), Wildland Fire Summit. Preparation including preparation of the Summit of a Global Wildland Fire Summit paper Strategy for Future Development under the auspices of the UN, of International Cooperation in Wildland i.a.w. recommendations by the Fire Management 2003 Summit (tentatively in 2005- 2006)

On 3-4 December 2004 the first meeting of the WFAG was convened at the GFMC (Freiburg, Germany). The objectives were the following:

• Constitutional: Reflect on the outcomes of the work of the former ISDR-IATF Working Group on Wildland Fire (WG-4) related to global wildland fire issues; define WG-4 transition to and modus operandi of WFAG, including membership with regional representation of the Global Wildland Fire Network

• Global situation assessment: Report on key issues on wildland fire in the regions of the Global Wildland Fire Network, notably the results of the consultations of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks in 2004; key scientific and other thematic issues.

• Technical: Thematic presentations and discussions on - Participation of Regional Wildland Fire Networks and GOFC / GOLD in the Global Forest Fire Assessment - Review of a proposed international standard for statistical reporting of wildland fires, including the FAO Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (FRA 2005) - The role of the United Nations University in capacity building in advanced wildland fire management - Innovative technologies for remote sensing of wildland fires and fire impacts

• Roadmap for 2005-2007 - Evaluation of the regional consultations in 2004 and the GFMC/ISDR/FAO “Framework for the Development of the International Wildland Fire Accord” (May 2004) - Formulation of a recommendation of the WFAG / Global Wildland Fire Network for the Development of the International Wildland Fire Accord, directed to the FAO and UNFF Ministerial Meetings (March 2005 / May 2005), and the UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR), Japan, January 2005

4 - Initial discussion about the role of wildland fire and fire management in the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol - Discussion on the participation of the Global Wildland Fire Network at the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (Sevilla, Spain, 13-17 May 2007)

Results of the discussions and the recommendations to the ministerial meetings can be found on the website of the Global Wildland Fire Network: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/RationaleandIntroduction.html

2.4 FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests and the 17th and 18th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO) 2005 / 2007

The Ministerial Meeting on Forests held at the FAO, Rome, 14 March 2005, attended by more than 120 countries, released a statement in which the need for international cooperation in wildland fire management was stressed. The ministers agreed to

call on FAO, in collaboration with countries and other international partners, including the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, to develop a strategy to enhance international cooperation on wildland fires, that advances knowledge, increases access to information and resources and explores new approaches for cooperation at all levels,

Following the Ministerial Meeting on Forests, the 17th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO) was held in Rome, 15-19 March 2005. International cooperation in wildland fire management was discussed in several sessions. The main recommendations in the final report include:

28. The Committee further noted that fire management was a national responsibility. It called on FAO to facilitate enhanced international cooperation on forest fires and requested FAO, in collaboration with countries and other international partners, including the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, to develop a strategy to enhance international cooperation on wildland fire. It noted that the template for international cooperation in wildland fire management, as presented at the International Wildland Fire Summit in Australia in 2003, could be used by countries wishing to cooperate in this area.

35. The Committee also recommended that FAO should inform the fifth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests of the importance attached by the Ministerial Meeting on Forests and by the 17th Session of the Committee to international cooperation on forest fire management.

SHAPING AN ACTION PROGRAMME FOR FAO IN FORESTRY (Item 9) 53. The Committee recommended that FAO continue its support for regional and national networks to combat fire as well as insects and disease, in collaboration with relevant organizations such as the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the Global Wildland Fire Network, and further requested that FAO work with partners to develop voluntary guidelines on the prevention, suppression and recovery from forest fire.

Both documents can be downloaded at: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/RationaleandIntroduction.html

Between September 2005 and April 2006 FAO was supported by an international core group of experts to implement the recommendations of the Ministerial Meeting and COFO-17. The group prepared a draft “Fire Management Code” – a guiding framework of principles necessary to support the policy, legal, regulatory and technical enabling conditions for fire management – and the draft “Global Strategy to enhance International Cooperation to facilitate Implementation of the Fire Management Code”. These two documents were discussed and consolidated by the FAO Expert Consultation on Fire Management (Madrid, Spain, 10-12 May 2006). On 14 July 2006 the Draft Fire Management Code was published and open for comments and suggestions by international stakeholders between July and end of October 2006: http://www.fao.org/forestry/firemanagementcode

5

Following the strong objections of Brazil and the concerns of several other countries concerning the designation of the guiding framework as a “Code”, the final draft of the document was entitled “Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines”.

An assessment and strategic plan for international and inter-agency cooperation to develop capabilities, systems and procedures to facilitate international cooperation in fire management was developed by the GFMC (“Review of International Cooperation in Fire Management“).. Together with the “Fire management global assessment 2006“, a thematic study prepared in the framework of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005, these three documents are the main pillars of the “Global Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management”.

• http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35833/en/

After the discussion and acceptance of the Global Strategy by COFO-18 (March 2007) the strategy was presented at the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (cf. 2.5) where representatives of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks, countries and international organizations discussed and endorsed this voluntary international cooperative and collective process. At the conference FAO launched the “Fire Management Actions Alliance“ aimed to stimulate improved fire management and reduce damage from fire worldwide:

• http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/firealliance/en/

The Alliance, as a non-geographically based group, will work with the Global Wildland Fire Network in order to promote mutual goals and objectives in enhancing international cooperation in wildland fire management. The Alliance is without any prejudice to the status of each of its members. FAO, through its Forest Management Division, in collaboration with the secretariat of the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and with support of members, provides communications, coordination and related services to the Alliance through the Secretariat. The Secretariat operates with voluntary contributions from members.

2.5 The 4th International Wildland Fire Conference

The 4th International Wildland Fire Conference was held in Sevilla, 13 to 17 May 2007, and was attended by 1531 participants from 88 countries. Building on the objectives and outputs of the previous International Wildland Fire Conferences (Boston 1989, Vancouver 1997, Sydney 2003), the objectives of the 4th Conference, which was held under the auspices of UNISDR, FAO and the European Commission, was to:

• Provide a forum for forest fire management leaders, politicians, professionals, researchers and practitioners from throughout the globe to discuss and work on critical fire issues affecting people, communities, resources and ecosystems in all Regions and work on a cooperative way in the consolidation of a Global Wildland Fire Management Strategy. • Strengthen the effectiveness of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and support their links into the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network. • Provide a forum for the fire management industry, research organizations and fire specialists to display innovations, new technologies, products and methods for wildland fire management and interact with the Conference participants.

One of the main aims of the conference was to provide a platform for a meeting of all Regional Wildland Fire Networks, which are collaborating under the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network. All 13 regional networks contributed to the preparation of the conference. Papers, posters and reports provided comprehensive information on wildland fire issues around the world. In six joint regional sessions the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and representatives of the European Commission as well as other participants, discussed a self-assessment of the fire situation in the regions and formulated recommendations for future action in the regions, as well as globally. The post-conference website includes all regional session reports as well as the global conference report (see also Annex 4): • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/sevilla-2007.html

6 3. Modus Operandi of the Global Wildland Fire Network

On behalf of the ISDR the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) is facilitating the functioning of the Global Wildland Fire Network by supporting the establishment or consolidation of Regional Wildland Fire Networks and enhancing inter-regional communication and cooperation.

The GFMC liaises with existing operational and proposed international networks and institutions, notably: • FAO Forestry Department • UN-mandated regional teams (ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group, ECE/FAO/ILO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, Fire Management Working Group of the FAO North American Forestry Commission (NAFC), Forest Fire Group of FAO Silva Mediterranea) • The secretariats of the three Rio Conventions (UNCDB, UNCCD, UNFCCC) • United Nations University, Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) • Global Observation of Forest Cover - Global Observation of Landcover Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) Fire Implementation Team (a subset of the Global Terrestrial Observing System - GTOS) • Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies (AGEE) and the Joint Environment Unit of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The Regional Wildland Fire Networks may consist of focussed subnets or will be complemented by any other topical network. The harmonization with the objectives and efforts of other independent networks is desired. The regional Fire Implementation Teams of the Global Observation of Forest Cover - Global Observation of Landcover Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) will play a key role in the formation and operational functioning of the Wildland Fire Monitoring Networks (see: http://www.gofc- fire.umd.edu/).

4. Status of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks

Regional Networks are formed in two ways. First, independent regional initiatives that were in place before 2001-2002 and after have been contacted and encouraged to become connected to the Global Wildland Fire Network. Second, a number of activities are being initiated in those regions where no such regional efforts are in place. The following information is taken from the website of the Global Wildland Fire Network: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/globalNet.html

Regional Subsahara Africa Wildland Fire Network The Regional Subsahara Wildland Fire Network ("Afrifirenet") was the first regional network that has been launched formally. On 3 July 2002 the network was kicked-off at its first official meeting held in the frame of the Wood for Africa Conference (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa). As of early 2004 more than 70 representatives from 13 African countries have registered as members of the network. An Advanced Wildland Fire Management Course (a Joint UN Inter-Agency Training Course with participation of UNEP, FAO and the United Nations University, Institute for Environment and Human Security [UNU-EHS]) for the SADC Region, sponsored by the German Foreign Office, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, has been held in Nelspruit, South Africa, 31 May - 5 June 2004. At the training course the Wildland Fire Management Training Handbook published by the GFMC was launched publicly. Between 30 October and 12 November 2004 a first joint FAO/GFMC/UNU-EHS Training Course for Instructors in Community-Based Fire Management (CBFiM) for Subsahara Africa was held in Nelspruit, South Africa. Together with Working on Fire (WoF) – one of the official partner organisations within Afrifirenet aiming at implementing Integrated Fire Management in South Africa – two training courses “Intermediate and Advanced Incident Command System” were held in South Africa between 2005 and 2008. In early 2006 WoF took over administration and coordination of the network. AfriFireNet is supporting the SavFire experiments in Kruger National Park 2006-2010. In 2011 AfriFireNet / WoF will host the 5th International Wildland Fire

7 Conference in South Africa. A website for the regional network is available on the GFMC information system at: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Africa/Afrifirenet.html Working on Fire (WoF) website hosted by GFMC: www.workingonfire.org

Regional South East Asia Wildland Fire Network At the World Conference on Land and Forest Fire Hazards (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 2002) two significant events paved the road for improving cooperation in fire management within the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) region and at international level. Building on almost a decade of cooperation in reducing the impacts of smoke-haze from land-use fires on the region the signing of the legally binding ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (10 June 2002; meanwhile ratified and entered into force on 25 November 2003) constitutes a multinational agreement for cooperation in fire management. At the ASEAN Senior Officials for Environment (ASOEN) Haze Technical Task Force meeting (10 June 2002) and the subsequent ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Haze (11 June 2002) it was recommended that the ASEAN nations work together with the GFMC to liaise the activities within ASEAN (“South East Asian Wildland Fire Network”) into the Global Wildland Fire Network. The ASEAN Secretariat will serve as a regional network coordinator.

The last Haze Technical Task Force (HTTF) meeting and the 11th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Haze has been held back to back with the First Meeting of the COP to the Haze Agreement, 8-11 November 2004, Hanoi, Viet Nam. All ASEAN countries participated at the FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests. In May 2006 a “Conference on Promoting Partnerships for the Implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution” was held in Ha Noi Viet Nam. Partner countries and organizations were invited to establish partnerships for the implementation of the Agreement. The GFMC participated at the conference on behalf of the Global Wildland Fire Network.

Starting in May 2003 the ASEAN Secretariat initiated the conceptual design of the South East Asia Fire and Haze Information Center (other working title: ASEAN Center for Emergency Response and Strategic Planning for Environmental Disasters). This facility will largely take over the role of the network information system. The regional websites are: ASEAN Haze Action Online Website: http://www.haze-online.or.id GFMC Regional Website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SouthEastAsia/ASEAN-FireNet.html

Regional North East Asia Wildland Fire Network This network includes the participation of the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) (not yet confirmed), Japan and the of the Russian Federation. During the International Wildland Fire Summit the representatives of the Republic of Korea have indicated a strong interest to support the formation of a regional node in South Korea. In November 2003 the Korean Forest Research Institute, Forest Fire Division, made its resources available to build the regional network. A kick-off meeting has been held in Seoul on 6 March 2004. As a follow-up activity a representative of the network stayed at the GFMC in August/September 2004. The 2nd Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network meeting was held 18 January 2005, Sendai, Japan (in conjunction with the UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction (Hyogo, Kobe, Japan, 18- 22 January 2005). An International Symposium on Forest Fire Protection was held by the National Research Institute of Fire and Disaster, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo, 30 November - 2 December 2005. During a side event of the network plans for the 3rd regional meeting were consolidated. The First International Northeast Asia Forest Fire Conference and the third meeting of the Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network was held 28-30 September 2006 in Khabarovsk, Russian Federation), followed by the 4th meeting in , ,16-17 December 2007. Regional website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Northeast-Asia/Northeastasia.html

Regional Central Asia Wildland Fire Network Central Asia and its neighbour countries have recently suffered major forest and other wildland fire problems. The causes of an increasing occurrence of wildfires in forests and other wildlands, including the underlying reasons for increasing human-caused fires, vary within the region and are due to (1) the transition from centrally planned to market economies, (2) national to regional conflicts, creation of new nations, involving political tensions and war; (3) increasing population growth and land-use pressure, and (4) regional climate change involving an increasing occurrence of extreme droughts.

8 The need has been recognized to initiate regional cooperation in wildland fire management, including wildland fire science. The "ECE/FAO International Conference on Management of Forest Fire Emergencies and International Cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean, Balkans and adjoining Regions of the Near East and Central Asia" (Turkey, April 2004) provided an opportunity to clarify detailed objectives and modus operandi of the networking arrangement. The conference released the “Antalya Declaration on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, Near East and Central Asia”. Follow-up discussions were held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, 20-21 July 2004 (participants: Focal Points from Kazakhstan, Russian Federation and GFMC). The GFMC presented the status of the regional network and the Global Wildland Fire Network at the Regional Central Asian Forest Congress “Forest Policy: Problems and Solutions”, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, 25-27 November 2004. In the Resolution of the congress the forest services of Kyrgystan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan endorsed the participation in the Global Wildland Fire Network and the support of an international wildland fire accord. A regional network meeting was held in , Russian Federation, 8 September 2005. The First International Central Asian Wildland Fire Joint Conference and Consultation, jointly with the First Central Asian Forest Fire Experiment will be hosted by Mongolia in June 2008.Provisional regional website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/CentralAsia/CentralAsia.html Results of the Antalya Conference with Antalya Declaration: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/meet2004_05.htm Regional network meeting in Irkutsk (8 September 2005): http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/CentralAsia/CentralAsia_2.html

Regional Australasia Wildland Fire Network In 1993 the Australian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) was established to improve the collaboration and co-ordination of efforts between those Australian agencies with a responsibility for the protection of life and property from fire and other emergencies. The membership of agencies from the greater region saw AFAC’s name change to the Australasian Fire Authorities Council in 1996. The current membership of AFAC stands at twenty-four full members and eleven associate members. All Australian fire and emergency agencies are full members of AFAC, as is the . Among the associate members are the Hong Kong Fire Service, Civil Defence Force and the Papua New Guinea Fire Service, while East Timor, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga are in the process of lodging applications under this membership category. AFAC aims to promote and coordinate activities in fire prevention, management and research through five Strategy Groups.

This regional arrangement offers the most suitable conditions for taking the lead in building the Regional Australasia Wildland Fire Network. This suggested arrangement has been discussed in March 2003 in Melbourne at the occasion of the meeting of the International Liaison Committee (ILC) of the 3rd International Wildland Fire Conference and International Wildland Fire Summit. At the 2004 AFAC meeting (7-9 October 2004, Perth, Australia) AFAC decided to join the Global Wildland Fire Network. The last regional meeting was held in 2007. For more details see: AFAC Website: www.ausfire.com GFMC Australasia Website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Australasia/Australasia.html

Regional Mediterranean Wildland Fire Network Following the discussions with FAO Silva Mediterranea in 2002 the formation of a Regional Mediterranean Wildland Fire Network is practically established under the auspices of this FAO group. A Workshop “Multilateral Assistance Against Forest Fires in the Mediterranean Basin” was held in Zaragoza, Spain, 10-11 June 2003. The objectives of the workshop included to study procedures to coordinate the existing mutual agreements and common legal and logistical tools to make effective, when needed, the multilateral assistance against forest fires within the Mediterranean Basin by sharing resources. A discussion was included about the possible role of the regional network and the GFMC to facilitate this process. The workshop was a preliminary activity to prepare a future Mediterranean conference on Multilateral Assistance against forest fires. Eastern Mediterranean countries participated at the "ECE/FAO International Conference on Management of Forest Fire Emergencies and International Cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean, Balkans and adjoining Regions of the Near East and Central Asia" (Turkey, April 2004). The conference released the “Antalya Declaration on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, Near East and Central Asia”. Spain, acting as coordinator of the Silva Mediterranea

9 fire group, hosted the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (see Annex 4). A regional workshop “Forest Fires in the Mediterranean Region: Prevention and Regional Cooperation” will be hosted by Italy (Circeo, 13-15 May 2008). For details see: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Mediterrania/Mediterrania.html Results of the Antalya Conference with Antalya Declaration: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/meet2004_05.htm The second seminar on “International Cooperation Programmes for Forest Fire Control in the Mediterranean Region” was held in Zaragoza, Spain, 27 September - 1 October 2004. For more information see: http://www.iamz.ciheam.org/ingles/incenfor-04-pub-ing.htm

Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network The first proposal for the formation of a regional network in SE Europe, particularly on the Balkan, was initially discussed by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) in June 2002 to promote cooperation in wildland fire research and management under a "South East European Fire Management Network" (SEEFIRE). Envisaged participating countries included Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, , the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovenia. The SEEFIRE Network intended to address the problem of wildland fires (forest fires and fires in other vegetation types) that are increasingly observed in the SE European transition countries. SEEFIRE would establish an interactive network of institutions of all countries listed below that are involved in the prevention and control of wildland fire. At the occasion of the International Scientific Conference "Fire and Emergency Safety During the XXI Century - The Course of Europe" (31 October - 1 November 2002, Sofia, Bulgaria) the GFMC proposed the network formation with representatives of the Balkan Region.

A regional meeting of the International Commission for the Prevention and Extinction of Fires (CTIF) was convened in Bulgaria in February 2004 and discussed the establishment of a Regional Fire Monitoring Center. In March-April 2004 the "ECE/FAO International Conference on Management of Forest Fire Emergencies and International Cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean, Balkans and adjoining Regions of the Near East and Central Asia" has been held in Turkey (for details: See Regional Central Asia Wildland Fire Network). The conference provided an opportunity to clarify detailed objectives and modus operandi of the networking arrangement. The conference released the “Antalya Declaration on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, Near East and Central Asia”. In the Antalya Declaration Bulgaria offered to host the Regional Fire Monitoring Center. In implementation of the Antalya Declaration Turkey assisted Georgia and Syria in responding to large forest fires in September and October 2004.

On 4-5 April 2005 the Republic of Macedonia hosted the International Technical and Scientific Consultation “Forest Fire Management in the Balkan Region”. The conference was sponsored by the UN-ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network through its Coordinator and Secretariat, the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). Funding of the consultation was provided by the German Foreign Office (represented by the GFMC) and contributions by the participating and contributing countries (Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey). In the meeting it was decided to expand the current focus on the Balkan Region to a “Regional South East European Wildland Fire Network” and invite countries adjoining to the Balkan region to cooperate. The network is jointly co-coordinated by a representative of the wildland fire research community (University of Skopje, Macedonia), a national forest services (Bulgaria, Forest Service) and a national fire service (Croatia, Fire Service). The regional consultation was followed by the "Eastern European, Near East and Central Asian States Exercise on Wildland Fire Information and Resources Exchange - EASTEX FIRE 2005", hosted by Bulgaria, 20-22 April 2005. At the 33rd Session of the FAO European Forestry Commission (Zvolen, Slovakia, May 2006) the network coordinator, supported by the GFMC, proposed the development of a Regional Strategy for Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in Southeast Europe, to be sponsored by the FAO.

In June 2006 the GFMC proposed to the Council of Europe (CoE), European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) (Open Partial Agreement on the Prevention of, Protection Against, and Organisation of Relief in Major Natural and Technological Disasters), to include the Caucasus region to the network. This suggestion was supported by the GFMC report included in the findings of the OSCE-led Environmental Assessment Mission to Fire-Affected Areas in Nagorno-Karabakh, in Fulfilment of the UNGA Resolution A/RES/60/285 “The Situation in the Occupied Territories of

10 Azerbaijan” (7 September 2006). 2 Consequently it was proposed to designate the network “Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network”. In March 2007 a Regional Wildland Fire Consultation on the Development of a Strategy on International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Regional South East European / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network was held in Sofia, Bulgaria, 19-21 March 2007. The results were presented at the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (Sevilla, Spain, May 2007). In July 2007 the international meeting on “Reducing Risk of Disaster from Catastrophic Wildfires in the Chernobyl Irradiated Forests” was held in Kiev, Ukraine, 26-27 July 2007, with the support of the GFMC/GWFN. After the extreme fire season in the Balkan region in 2007 a fire assessment mission to the FOR Macedonia recommended to call for a regional summit to address the underlying causes of increasing wildfire threats.

The website for the regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network is available at: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Balkan/Balkan.html Results of the Antalya Conference with Antalya Declaration: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/meet2004_05.htm Recommendations of the Consultations in Ohrid 2005 and Sofia 2007: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/SEEurope_1.html EASTEX FIRE 2005 scope and programme: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/SEEurope_4.html

Regional Baltic Wildland Fire Network At the Baltic Exercise for Fire Information and Resources Exchange - BALTEX FIRE 2000 (, June 2000) the UN ECE/ECE/ILO Team of Specialists on Forest Fires (now: FAO/UNECE Team of Specialists on Forest Fires), through the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), initiated a communication and coordination process among the countries bordering the Baltic Basin. BALTEX FIRE 2000 was an initiative devoted to strengthen cooperation in forest fire management and transboundary cooperation in large fire disasters between all countries bordering the Baltic Sea. Participants were the nations bordering the Baltic Sea (Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, , Russia, Sweden) and neighbouring observer countries (Belarus, United Kingdom). The initiative is the starting point for the Regional Baltic Wildland Fire Network structures. On 10 May 2004 a Regional Baltic Wildland Fire Meeting was held in Finland (host: Ministry for Interior, Finland). The conference participants released the Declaration on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Baltic Region. One major activity in the Baltic Region is the European Fire in Nature Conservation Network (EFNCN), a networking mechanism in which European Partners cooperate in research and development in cultural and natural history and prehistory of fire, application of prescribed fire in nature conservation and landscape management, and fire ecology. Other active partners include the Pan-European fire research programme FIRE PARADOX (sponsored by the European Commission (2006-2010) and the Forest Fire Commission of the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (Comité Technique International de Prévention et d’Extinction du Feu - CTIF). In 2006 the EU Leonardo da Vinci Programme granted support to GFMC and CTIF to develop a “Fire Management Handbook for European Fire Services” (EuroFire). EuroFire was presented at the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (Sevilla, Spain, May 2007). In 2008 the mandate of the FAO/UNECE team will be extended in the frame of the Strategic Plan 2008-13 Of The Joint Integrated Programme on Timber and Forestry of the UNECE Timber Committee and FAO European Forestry Commission. The regional website at the GFMC is: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/BalticRegion/BalticRegion.html EFNCN website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/natcon/natcon.htm FIRE PARADOX website: www.fireparadox.org EuroFire website: http://www.euro-fire.eu/

Regional Mesoamerica Wildland Fire Network Several recent developments indicate the political willingness of nations in Central America and Mexico to share information and resources in fire management. An important regional initiative has been launched by the First Central Mesoamerican Meeting on Forest Fire Protection (Primera Reunión

2 http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/N0720860-OSCE-UNGA-ENG.pdf

11 Mesoamericana de Cooperación en Materia de Protección contra Incendios Forestales) held in Guatemala City, 8-9 July 2002. This regional meeting was organized in the frame of the project “Prevención y Combate de Incendios Forestales en Mesoamerica” of the "Programa Mesoamericano de Cooperación 2001-2002", launched at the occasion of the 4th Tuxtla regional dialogue. Delegates of Belice, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua and Panamá participated in the meeting. The countries agreed formally to launch a programme of cooperation which includes sharing of information and resources in fire management as well as in capacity building. 3

The Mesoamerica Meeting was followed by a meeting in Honduras (Taller para el Desarrollo de un Plan Estratégico Regional para el Manejo del Gorgojo del Pino y los Incendios Forestales en Centroamérica, 26-30 August 2002) in which the representatives from Central America developed a strategic plan for fire and bark beetle management in Central America. The momentum created by the Mesoamerican Meeting and the Honduras Strategy is currently coordinated with the Comisión Centroamericana de Ambiente y Desarollo (CCAD). A Technical Commission on Forest Fires and Pests has been established under the CCAB/AP.

Based on the Regional Strategic Plan elaborated in Honduras, two workshops were held during 2004 to develop a Regional Programme for Forest Fires and Pests (Programa Regional de Administración de Plagas e Incendios Forestales) (26-27 April 2004, Guatemala / 8-9 July 2004, El Salvador). The programme was approved and is receiving financial support from US-AID for the next two years.

Representatives from the Technical Commission on Forest Fires participated at the Foundation meeting of the Regional South America Wildland Fire Network (17 June 2004, Curitiba) (see next paragraph). A timetable for cooperative procedures between the three regions Central America, South America and the Caribbean is given in Table 2.

The Technical Commission on Forest Fires requested the CCAB/AP (17-19 August 2004, El Salvador) to officially create the Regional Centralamerica and Mexico Forest Fire and Pest Network (Red Regional de Centro América y México de Incendios y Plagas Forestales) operating under the CCAD. The recommendations of the network have been presented at the Pan-American Wildland Fire Conference on 23 October 2004, San José, Costa Rica.

At the FAO TCP/RLA/3010 Mesoamerica Subregional Technical Workshop (Taller Técnico Subregional de Mesoamérica, 24-26 May 2005, Panama) national fire focal points developed the first draft of the Central American Strategy on Fire Management 2005-2015 (Estrategia Centroamericana para el Manejo del Fuego). During the Technical Commitee on Forestry (Comité Técnico de Bosques, CTB) Meeting (21-22 July 2005, Nicaragua) regional forestry directors accepted draft number 4 of the Strategy and requested the focal points to prepare an Action Plan until the next CTB Meeting to be held on 1-2 September 2005 in Costa Rica. Assistance in developing this Action Plan was provided by the Centralamerica Forest Strategy (Estrategia Forestal Centroamericana, EFCA). The final version of the Strategy has been published by CCAD in March 2006. In the frame of this Strategy it was decided to establish the Fire Management Working Group of Central America (Grupo de Trabajo Centroamericano para el Manejo del Fuego) (replacing the Technical Commission on Forest Fires and Pests), which has to be consolidated under the CTB of the CCAD. The Working Group will be integrated by the coordinators of the national fire management programmes of each country (acting as focal points) that need to have the official institutional support of their respective governments. The Working Group will be chaired by the focal point, whose country is holding the temporary presidency of the CCAD and co-chaired by the focal point whose country will hold the temporary presidency in the following period.

3 In June 2003 consultations were held with the Government of Guatemala concerning cooperation between the Mesoamerican Cooperation Regarding Protection against Forest Fires and the GFMC. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Mesoamerican Permanent Technical Group on Forest Fires (Grupo Técnico Mesoamericano Permanente sobre Incendios Forestales), represented by the President of the Coordinating Council of the Sistema Nacional de Prevención y Control de Incendios Forestales (SIPECIF), Guatemala, and Executive Coordinator of the Presidency of Guatemala, and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), Working Group on Wildland Fire, concerning Cooperation in the Global Wildland Fire Network through active participation of the Regional Mesoamerica Wildland Fire Network.

12 Together with the South America and Caribbean Strategies (see below) a Regional Strategy on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in Latin America and the Caribbean was finalized in a regional meeting in Santiago de Chile, 3-4 November 2005.

On 12-13 June 2006 a Meeting of the Fire Management Working Group of Central America took place at CCAD in El Salvador. It was agreed to strengthen the webpage of the Working Group, consolidate the Regional Central American Wildland Fire Network, carry out meetings with key persons to promote the application of the Central American Strategy on Fire Management in each country, as well as reprint the Strategy and include the logos of FAO, AID and DOI.

Together with the three sub-regional strategies, the regional strategy was discussed and approved of during the 24th Session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 26-30 June 2006). The strategy was presented at the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (Spain, 2007) and followed by the “Central American Fire Management Forum (San Salvador, 30-31 October 2007).

All materials on the cooperative processes in the Mesoamerica Region are available at: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/MesoAmerica/MesoAmerica.html Webpage of the CCAD Fire Management Working Group of Central America: http://www.ccad.ws/tecnicos/ccab_incendios.html Results and declaration of the Pan-American Wildland Fire Conference: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Panamerica/Panamerican-Conference.htm

Regional South America Wildland Fire Network The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2001-2002 proposed the creation of a Latin American initiative in fire management. Although this proposal had not been implemented, several regional institutions have indicated their interest to build a Regional South America Wildland Fire Network. The formation of the network was discussed at a foundation meeting which took place in tandem with the 3rd South American Symposium on Forest Fire Control (3º Simpósio Sul-Americano sobre Controle de Incêndios Florestais), 14-17 June 2004, Curitiba, Brazil, see: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/c.ourse/meeting/meet2003_14.htm

This foundation meeting was sponsored by the Global Wildland Fire Network (through GFMC), FAO, GOFC-GOLD, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the U.S. Forest Service. The recommendations of the Network Foundation Meeting finalized after electronic follow-up discussion by mid of July 2004) have been presented to the participants of the Pan-American Wildland Fire Conference, 23 October 2004 in Costa Rica. This conference was a joint event of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks of South America, Mesoamerica and the Caribbean as well as of the joint meeting of the members of the FAO Forestry Commissions of North America and Latin America / Caribbean. Table 2 indicates the timetable for the network formation process between the Curitiba meeting and the FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests at which wildland fire was be a major agenda item (FAO, Rome, 14 March 2005) (for details: See Annex 3, “Framework for the Development of the International Wildland Fire Accord”).

At the FAO TCP/RLA/3010 South America Subregional Technical Workshop (Taller Técnico Subregional de Sudamérica, 21-23 June 2005, Curitiba, Brazil) national fire focal points developed the first draft of the South American Strategy on Fire Management 2006-2010 (Estrategia de Cooperación de América del Sur para el Manejo del Fuego). In the frame of this Strategy it was decided to establish the Fire Management Working Group of South America under the COFLAC. The network is co-chaired by PREVFOGO / IBAMA (Brasilia, Brazil), the Federal University of Paraná (Curitiba, Brazil), and the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), Chile.

Together with the Central America and Caribbean Strategies a Regional Strategy on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in Latin America and the Caribbean was finalized in a regional meeting in Santiago de Chile, 3-4 November 2005 and was discussed and at the 24th Session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 26-30 June 2006). In 2007 IBAMA and COFLAC signed a MoU on technical cooperation and development of the South American Strategy on Fire Management (Memorando De Entendimiento Para la Cooperacion Tecnica y el Desarrollo de la Estrategia de Cooperación de América del Sur Para el Manejo del Fuego) and agreed on an operational bi-annual plan for the Secretariat of the network (Plan Operativo Bianual de la Secretaria Ejecutiva del Grupo de Trabajo de América del Sur de Manejo del Fuego). In

13 2007 a regional conference “Incendios forestales: amenazas y desafíos en un escenario de calentamiento global“ was held at SILVOTECNA XXII (8-9 November 2007, Concepción, Chile) in which consequences of global warming on wildland fires and options for management response were addresses.

Information concerning the progress of forming the South America Wildland Fire Network is available on the web: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SouthAmerica/SouthAmerica.html Results and declaration of the Pan-American Wildland Fire Conference: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Panamerica/Panamerican-Conference.htm

Table 2. Timetable of action for the Regional Wildland Fire Management Networks in South America, Central America and the Caribbean

Regional Wildland Fire Networks Date / Timeframe South America Central America Caribbean

July 2004 Establishment of the Initial Meeting and consolidation Preparation of network Working Group of Central America foundation meeting August 2004 Network (CCAD/CCAB, Electronic discussion Mesoamerica process, September 2004 Honduras Strategy) 21 Oct 2004 Regional network meeting Regional network meeting San José, Costa Rica 22 Oct 2004 Morning: San José, Costa Rica Continuation of regional network meeting (parallel to final COFLAC session). Meeting of the International Liaison Committee (ILC) for the preparation of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (Madrid 2007) Afternoon: Joint meeting of Regional Wildland Fire Networks (South America, Central America, Caribbean): Mutual information on regional network activities and development of a proposal for the Pan-American Wildland Fire Conference. Separate or joint meeting of the North American network (NAFC Fire Management Working Group - FMWG). 23 Oct 2004 Pan-American Wildland Fire Conference: Definition of a Pan-American Action Plan San José, Costa Rica on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management (with the participation of all four regional networks in the Americas) Results and declaration of the conference: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Panamerica/Panamerican- Conference.htm 24 Oct 2004 Wrap-up meeting of all networks of the Americas and the Caribbean San José, Costa Rica Nov 2004 – Feb 2005 Follow-up of the Pan- Follow-up of the Pan- Follow-up of the Pan- American Conference: American Conference: American Conference: Fundraising, preparation of Fundraising, preparation of Fundraising, preparation of FAO ministerial meeting FAO ministerial meeting FAO ministerial meeting 14 March 2005 FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests at which wildland fire will be one of two agenda items 17 March 2005 The FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO) will discuss the implementation of the recommendations of the Ministerial Meeting May / June 2005 TCP/RLA/3010 (C) - Support to the development of a Regional Cooperation Strategy for the Prevention, Control and Combat of Forest Fires South America Mesoamerica Subregional Caribbean Subregional Subregional Technical Technical Workshop Technical Workshop Workshop (Curitiba, Brazil, (Panama, 24-26 May (Dom. Rep., 31 May-2 21-23 June 2005) 2005) June 2005)

South American Strategy Central American Strategy Fire Management on Fire Management on Fire Management Cooperation Strategy for 2006-2010 2005-2015 the Caribbean 2006-2011

Fire Management Working Fire Management Working Fire Management Working Group of South America, Group of Central America, Group of the Caribbean, COFLAC CCAD COFLAC

14 November 2005 Regional Meeting of Latin America and the Caribbean (Santiago de Chile, 3-4 November 2005)

Regional Strategy on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in Latin America and the Caribbean (2006-2016) 26-30 June 2006 24th Session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (COFLAC) Dominican Republic

Regional Caribbean Wildland Fire Network Following the initial discussions at the foundation meeting of the Regional South America Wildland Fire Network and the Pan-American Wildland Fire Conference in 2004, a FAO TCP/RLA/3010 Carribean Subregional Technical Workshop (Taller Técnico Subregional del Caribe) was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 31 May-2 June 2005. Besides a draft proposal for a Fire Management Cooperation Strategy for the Caribbean 2006-2011 (Estrategia de Cooperación del Caribe para el Manejo del Fuego) the national fire focal points agreed to establish the network and request Cuba to take the lead and coordination function. In the frame of this Strategy it was decided to establish the Fire Management Working Group of the Caribbean under the COFLAC.

Together with the Central America and the South America Strategies a Regional Strategy on International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in Latin America and the Caribbean was finalized in a regional meeting in Santiago de Chile, 3-4 November 2005.

The network organized a regional meeting in the frame of the Fourth International Symposium on Sustainable Management of Forest Resources (SIMFOR 2006) / First International Workshop on Fire Management, 19-22 April 2006, Pinar del Río, Cuba.

Together with the three sub-regional strategies, the regional strategy was discussed and at the 24th Session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 26-30 June 2006). The series of international symposia entitled “Simposio Internacional sobre Manejo Sostenible de los Recursos Forestales“ at the university of Pinar del Río, Cuba, included regional fire science and management workshops in 2006 and 2008.

A regional website is now available at: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Caribbean/Caribbean.html

Regional North America Wildland Fire Network The Fire Management Working Group (FMWG) of the North American Forestry Commission (NAFC) – established in 1961 – represents a regional network which is liaising North America's contribution to the Global Wildland Fire Network.

An initial proposal to formally join the Global Wildland Fire Network has been discussed in March 2003 in Melbourne at the occasion of the meeting of the International Liaison Committee (ILC) of the 3rd International Wildland Fire Conference and International Wildland Fire Summit. The proposal has been endorsed by the Fire Management Working Group (FMSG) in 2004. The representatives of the U.S.A., Canada and México endorsed the participation in the Global Wildland Fire Network at the Pan- American Wildland Fire Conference (23 October 2004). In 2005-2006 the U.S. Forest Service continued to support the international dialogue by financing the ILC and contributing to the development of the Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines (see section 2.4). The 2008 meeting of the Global Wildland Fire Network and ILC will be cosponsored by the U.S. Forest Service.

For details on the NAFC Fire Management Working Group see: http://www.fs.fed.us/global/nafc/fire/aboutus.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/NorthAmerica/NorthAmerica.html Results and declaration of the Pan-American Wildland Fire Conference: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Panamerica/Panamerican-Conference.htm

15 Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network Following discussions with representatives from Nepal and India between 2003 and 2006 and earlier offers by the Department of Forests, Nepal, the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group encouraged Nepal to take the initiative to establish the Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network. The foundation meeting was held in the premises of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal, 2-3 March 2007. The meeting was funded by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), cosponsored by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and assisted by the Nepal GIS Society (NEGISS), the Agro-Farm Foresters’ Association Nepal (AFFAN) and the Center for Biological Conservation Nepal, in line with several declarations made in international conferences and summits, inter alia the Declaration of the Tenth SAARC Summit Colombo 1998 on Environment and the decision made in the meetings of UN-ISDR Working Group on Wildland Fire, and the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network. The foundation meeting “Fire and Livelihoods in the South Asian Region” released the Kathmandu Declaration in which the international donor community was challenged to support the region in building local, national and regional cooperative fire management capacities. A three-level fire management project in Nepal was implemented in 2007-2008 with the support of GFMC to develop principles and framework for fire management at local (community), district and national Level, to be used as a model for the regional network.

Information concerning the progress of forming the South America Wildland Fire Network is available on the web: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/South_Asia/Front_RSAWFN.html

16 Annex 1

Figure 1. Delineation of regions within the Global Wildland Fire Network

Figure 2. International networking in the wildland fire arena will involve inter-sectoral and inter-agency participation of international to local actors with responsibilities ranging from scientific and technical analysis to land users and fire management actors on the ground, i.e. the local communities.

17 Annex 2 UN Family

Interagency Task Force for Disaster Reduction (IATF) Transiting in 2007 to: Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)

Core Group Members: International Liaison

Committee (ILC) for UN-ISDR • FAO the International Wildland Fire • UNEP-OCHA Wildland Fire Advisory Group • WHO, WMO Coordinator: GFMC • UNFF, ITTO • UN Conventions • UNU • GFMC • Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, Global Wildland Advisory Group on Fire Network Environmental Emergencies (AGEE) • Bilateral and multilateral Consultative Group: agreements • Civil Society • NGOs • R & D • Banks • PPP...

UNFF and Collaborative CCD Work CCD Work CCD Work Partnership on Forests Programme Programme Programme

Figure 3. Scheme of cooperative relationships between the Wildland Fire Advisory Group, the Global Wildland Fire Network und the International Liaison Committee of the series of International Wildland Fire

18 Annex 3

GFMC GOFC/GOLD

Framework for the Development of the International Wildland Fire Accord

Rationale, Status and Future Activities

Date of original first version: 1 May 2004 Final (13th) Update (this document): 12 April 2005 Authors: Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) in cooperation with FAO, ISDR and GOFC/GOLD

1. Introduction: Purpose of this document

Over the past decade a growing trend of excessive fire application in land-use systems and land-use change, and occurrence of wildfires of extreme severities has been observed in many regions of the world. Some of the effects of wildland fires are of transboundary nature, e.g. the consequences of smoke pollution on human health and safety, loss biodiversity, or consequences of destabilization at landscape level leading to desertification or flooding at transnational scale. The depletion of terrestrial carbon by fires burning under extreme conditions in some vegetation types, including organic terrain in peatland biomes, is one of the driving agents of disturbance of global biogeochemical cycles, notably the global carbon cycle. This trend is calling the international community to commonly address this problem. The development of informal partnerships, joint projects and formal agreements between government and non-government institutions are essential to enable nations to develop sustainable fire management capabilities. United Nations agencies, programmes and conventions, as well as governments and civil society are calling for developing synergies aimed at enhancing efficiency and international cooperation in wildland fire management. This paper proposes the development of an International Wildland Fire Accord to reinforce and strengthen international cooperation in wildland fire management.

This Paper provides

a brief global situation assessment (including an annex with references) a list of major international actors involved in, or having expressed the intent of support, building an international alliance (UN, non-UN international organizations, NGOs, science community, civil society, and governments) to address global wildland fire problems a list of major international events up to 2004 manifesting the interests of the international community framework and activities to support the development of the International Wildland Fire Accord (2004-2005)

2. Rationale: Global Wildland Fire Status and Trends

Between the mid 1990s and 2004 significant changes have been noted in the occurrence and impacts of wildland fire in some regions of the world:

Extended droughts triggered by the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon first experienced in Indonesia in 1983 and again in 1997-98 favoured excessive application of fire in land-use change and occurrence of large wildfires in the tropics, resulting in above-average emission pulses of greenhouse gases and near-ground smoke pollution affecting human health and security. Uncontrollable wildfires in the USA between 2000 and 2003 are considered to be a consequence of earlier fire exclusion policies and regional climate change.

19 The CIS countries and other countries in transition suffered institutional shortcomings which resulted in widespread wildfires, particularly in the Russian Federation, the Balkans and Central Asia. Radioactive emissions from fires burning in forests contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster and other nuclear accidents in the Ukraine, the Russian Federation and Belarus continue to constitute a high threat to human health and security. Abandonment of the rural space in the Southern European countries involves less intensive utilization of vegetation biomass, thus resulting in increasing severities of fires with subsequent land degradation and secondary disasters. Increasing vulnerability of residential areas at the wildland-urban interface has been noted in North America and Australia where wildfires in the past decade have cause extremely high economic losses. The international community has responded to the increasing destructivity of wildland fires around the globe by drafting protocols, agreement guidelines and common terminology for enhancing international cooperation in wildland fire management. The Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and the FAO are instrumental to facilitate cooperative efforts and support UN policies through the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group.

Summary of global wildland fire trends:

Trends are determined by local to national socio-economic and political developments; needs have emerged to integrate fire management with the aim of distributing management responsibilities from governments to local populations Globalisation of markets determine fire use and fuel loads Increasing fire severity observed in many regions as a consequence of coupled direct and indirect impacts of human interference and environmental change Other regions experiencing the consequences of fire suppression or reduced fire use, with consequences on biodiversity, carrying capacity, landscape patterns, etc. Alarming trend of fire-induced carbon transfer from the terrestrial sphere to the atmosphere, especially from drained or climatically altered wetlands

3. Formation of the Global Wildland Fire Alliance towards the development of an International Wildland Fire Accord

In the following the most important international organizations, institutions and other entities are listed that are currently contributing (or recently have contributed) to promoting the agenda of cooperation in the wildland fire arena at international level.

3.1 Facilitation

Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC): Founded in 1998; support of UN institutions through its host institution (Fire Ecology Research Group) since the late 1980s, coordinating the facilitation through membership and mandate of: o UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR): Working Group on Wildland Fire (2001-2003) and UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group (since 2004), serving as inter-agency advisory body to the UN (chaired by the GFMC) o Global Wildland Fire Network: Programme facilitated by the GFMC, as an inter- agency programme of the ISDR, funded by the German government and FAO

3.2 United Nations agencies, programmes and conventions mandated to address wildland fire

FAO: Promotion of international cooperation in wildland fire management; technical cooperation programmes (TCP) in the field, and information dissemination through seven Regional Forest Commissions; Global Forest Fire Assessments (FRA 2000 and 2005) jointly

20 with GFMC; Fire Management Guidelines for Temperate and Boreal Forests jointly with GFMC; Wildland Fire Management Terminology update jointly with GFMC, promotion of Community-Based Fire Management (CBFiM); information dissemination and international documentation with global reactivation since 1998. Regional teams of wildland fire experts: o ECE / FAO / ILO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire o North American Forestry Commission, Fire Management Working Group o FAO Silva Mediterranea, Forest Fire Working Group WHO: Development of Health Guidelines for Vegetation Fire Events (currently no active position) WMO: Early warning of El Niño, fire weather, smoke transport UNESCO: Disaster reduction programmes (currently no specific programme) UNEP/OCHA: Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit; Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies (AGEE), WSSD Type II Partnership on Environmental Emergencies (GFMC member, FAO maintaining a Fire Alert Web Page to relay national fire emergency requests) ITTO: Guidelines for Fire Management in Tropical Forests, support of national fire management programmes, including CBFiM UNU: Establishment of the Institute for Environment and Human Security (2004), with (first UN inter-agency activity in 2004: Joint GFMC / ISDR / FAO / OCHA / UNU / NEPAD Advanced Wildland Fire Management Training Workshop for SADC Countries) UN Conventions: Agreement with the secretariats of the three Rio Conventions on cooperation with GFMC/ISDR, at the Workshop “Forests and Forest Ecosystems: Promoting Synergy in the Implementation of the Three Rio Conventions” (Viterbo, April 2004) Convention on Biodiversity (CBD): Member of the ISDR-IATF Wildland Fire Advisory Group (since2003) Convention on Combat of Desertification (CCD): collaborative arrangement with GFMC started in 2004 Framework Convention of Climate Change (FCCC): collaborative arrangement with GFMC started in 2004 UN Forum on Forests (UNFF): Member of the ISDR-IATF Wildland Fire Advisory Group (since 2003) 3.3 Non-Governmental Organizations IUCN-TNC-WWF: Global Fire Partnership founded in September 2003; strategic meeting with international participation (May 2004)International Technical Committee for the Prevention and Extinction of Fire (Comité Technique International de Prévention et d’Extinction du Feu - CTIF): Reactivation of the Commission on Forest Fires (September 2003), First Conference: Experiences from 2002-2003 Wildland Fire Seasons: Are we prepared for the challenges ahead? (Austria, October 2003); Development of a Forest Fire Control Handbook for European Fire Services (by GFMC) Global Observation of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC/GOLD) Fire Monitoring and Mapping Implementation Team: Global Forest Fire Assessment by spaceborne assets

4. Precursor activities to support the International Wildland Fire Accord (before 2004) International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR): The decade (1990s) promoted synergies between international groups and entrusted the GFMC to coordinate the programme “Early Warning of Wildland Fire and Related Hazards” ECE/FAO Conference Forest, Fire and Global Change (Russian Federation, 1996): Elaboration of a proposal for international cooperation in wildland fire management FAO Consultations on Public Policies and Cooperation (1998, 2001) International Wildland Fire Conferences in Vancouver (1997) and Sydney (2003) International Wildland Fire Summit (2003): Agreement on principles, international strategies and participatory fire management

21 5. Framework and activities to support the International Wildland Fire Accord (2004-2005) In 2004 and early 2005 (up to the FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests, 14 March 2005) a number of regional conferences and consultations have addressed international cooperation in wildland fire management:

Northeast Asia (Korea, March 2004): Foundation of the Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network, hosted by the Korean Forest Service ECE/FAO conference on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, Balkans, Central Asia (Turkey, 30 March – 2 April 2004): Consolidation of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks for the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean / Near East, Western and Central Asia, hosted by the Forest Service of Turkey (see “Antalya Declaration on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, Near East and Central Asia”); Turkey to host a Regional Wildland Fire Advisory Group, and Bulgaria to host the Balkans Network. Baltic Region (Finland, May 2004): Regional Baltic Wildland Fire Meeting (follow-up to ECE/FAO BALTEX FIRE 2000), hosted by the Ministry for Interior, Finland; consolidation of the Regional Baltic Wildland Fire Network and the regional work of the ECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire South America (Brazil, June 2004): Foundation of the Regional South America Wildland Fire Network, meeting hosted by the University of Paraná, Curitiba, co-sponsored by FAO, GFMC, USFS, UNEP, TNC and others Central America (July-September 2004): Consolidation of cooperation arrangements in Central America (CCAD/CCAB, Mesoamerica Agreement, Implementation of the Honduras Strategy) Joint meeting of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks of South America, Central America, Caribbean (foundation meeting), and North America (NAFC Fire Management Working Group) in preparation of the Pan-American Wildland Fire Conference (Costa Rica, 21-22 October 2004)Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between FAO and GFMC on joint activities related to increase international cooperation in wildland fire management, including a thematic report for the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005. Pan-American Wildland Fire Conference (Costa Rica, 23 October 2004): Meeting of the FAO Regional Forestry Commissions of North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. Objective (among other): endorsement of the regional networking concepts prepared in Brazil and Costa Rica; recommendations for the FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests (2005) Meeting of the ASEAN Haze Technical Task Force (HTTF) and ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Haze, back to back with the First Meeting of COP to the Haze Agreement (Hanoi, Viet Nam, 8-11 November 2004) Presentation of the Regional Central Asia Wildland Fire Network and the Global Wildland Fire Network at the Regional Central Asian Forest Congress “Forest Policy: Problems and Solutions” (Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, 25-27 November 2004) Meeting of the UN-ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group and the Global Wildland Fire Network (GFMC / Germany, 3-4 December 2004): Preparation of recommendations for the FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests (2005) reflecting the results of the regional and global consultations carried out in 2004. UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction (Japan, January 2005): The conference reviewed the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action (of 1994), including its wildland fire component, define WSSD-related specific activities and provided an opportunity for the Global Wildland Fire Network and UN-ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group to report on the Framework for the Development of the International Wildland Fire Accord

22 At the FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests at which wildland fire will was a major agenda item (Rome, 14 March 2005) and the 17th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO) (Rome, 15-19 March 2005) ministers and representatives of agencies responsible for forestry discussed a proposal directed to the United Nations concerning a coordinated effort in international cooperation in wildland fire management.

Results

At the FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests (Rome, 14 March 2005) ministers and representatives of agencies responsible for forestry

“called on FAO, in collaboration with countries and other international partners, including the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, to develop a strategy to enhance international cooperation on wildland fires, that advances knowledge, increases access to information and resources and explores new approaches for cooperation at all levels“.

At the 17th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO) (Rome, 15-19 March 2005) an “Action Programme for FAO in Forestry” was agreed. It included recommendation No. 53

“that FAO continue its support for regional and national networks to combat fire as well as insects and disease, in collaboration with relevant organizations such as the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the Global Wildland Fire Network, and further requested that FAO work with partners to develop voluntary guidelines on the prevention, suppression and recovery from forest fire”.

All documents of the FAO Ministerial meeting and the 17th Session of COFO can be downloaded at these FAO web pages:

FAO Ministerial Meeting: www.fao.org/forestry/site/26480/en 17th Session of COFO: www.fao.org/forestry/site/2960/en

In addition all documents referring to the development of an international wildland fire accord / global strategy are compiled on the website of the Global Wildland Fire Network:

http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/RationaleandIntroduction.html

Editorial Note:

FAO and GFMC agreed to terminate the updating process of this framework document with the decisions of the ministerial meeting and COFO-17. The results were presented to UNFF-5 (New York, 16-27 May 2005) during which the Wildland Fire Advisory Group, jointly with FAO, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the U.S. Forest Service, organized a side event “Development of a Strategy or Agreement on International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management” (18 May 2005).

The follow-up process will be reflected by reports of the FAO and the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group. These reports will be published or linked on the above-mentioned website of the Global Wildland Fire Network.

23 ANNEX - References

Wildland Fire Advisory Group. 2003. Vegetation fires globally. An analysis for policy makers prepared for the (UN-ISDR Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction and the International Wildland Fire Summit. ECE/FAO International Forest Fire News (IFFN) No. 29 http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/summit- 2003/Summit%20Background%20Paper%20Global%20Situation.pdf

Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/

FAO Wildland Fire Websites and FAO Global Forest Fire Assessment 1990-2000 http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/Wp55_eng.pdf

UN-ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group http://www.unisdr.org/eng/task%20force/tf-working-groups4-eng.htm

Global Wildland Fire Network http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/globalNet.html

International Wildland Fire Summit http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/summit-2003/introduction.htm

ECE/FAO International Forest Fire News (IFFN) http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/iffn/iffn.htm

Convention on Biological Diversity http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/cbd.htm

Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit / WSSD Partnership for Environmental Emergencies http://www.reliefweb.int/ochaunep/ http://www.reliefweb.int/ochaunep/tools/wssd.htm

WHO: Health Guidelines on Vegetation Fire Events http://www.who.int/docstore/peh/Vegetation_fires/vegetation_fires.htm

International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) Wildland Fire Websites http://www.itto.or.jp/live/index.jsp http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/itto/itto_start.htm

Global Observation of Forest Cover / Global Observation of Landcover Dynamics (GOFC/GOLD) - Fire Mapping and Monitoring http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

Crutzen, P.J., and J.G. Goldammer (eds.) 1993. Fire in the environment: The ecological, atmospheric, and climatic importance of vegetation fires. Dahlem Workshop Reports. Environmental Sciences Research Report 13. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 400 p.

Ahern, F., J.G. Goldammer, and C. Justice (eds.). 2001. Global and regional vegetation fire monitoring from space: Planning a coordinated international effort. SPB Academic Publishing bv, The Hague, The , 302 p.

24 Annex 4

4th International Wildland Fire Conference Sevilla, 17 May 2007

Conference Statement As agreed by the Representatives of 13 Regional Wildland Fire Networks and Participants of the Joint Regional Sessions

The 4th International Wildland Fire Conference was held in Sevilla, Spain, 14-17 May 2007. The conference was held under the auspices of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Commission and hosted by the Government of Spain and the Regional Government of Andalusia. The conference brought together 1531 participants from 88 countries from throughout the world, representing government organizations and civil society from all regions of the world, the United Nations and other international organizations.

The participants of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference presented the state-of-the art in fire science, fire management and fire management training in all continents. A commercial exhibition provided insight in innovative fire management technologies, including fire detection, monitoring, suppression, and firefighters and public health and safety. A number of organizations and international associations involved in the wildland fire arena held side meetings and recommended enhancing the international dialogue.

The FAO and partners presented progress in the development of a Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management, requested by the Ministerial Meeting in 2005. The Strategy is being progressed through a multi-stakeholder process and includes a Global Assessment of Fire Management, a Review of International Cooperation and Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines. During the Conference, and as part of the Strategy, the Fire Management Actions Alliance was launched to promote, implement and update the Voluntary Guidelines. At the time of the launching event 35 partners – national agencies, universities and international organizations – had signed up to the Alliance.

Fire management specialists, many of them organized and cooperating in Regional Wildland Fire Networks, reported the state of the fire situation in their home countries and in the 13 regions. With reference to the global developments impacting on the fire situation in the regions of the world, the national and regional analyses of the fire situation and a self-assessment of fire management capabilities, the representatives of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and the participants of the joint regional sessions recognized the global issues impacting on fire occurrence and the consequences of fire on the environment and humans in the regions of the world, notably the

• Demographic changes resulting in alterations of sustainable fire regimes, e.g. the consequences of rural exodus or – vice-versa – exurban migrations, coupled with a loss of traditional, sustainable land-use systems; • Widespread poverty associated with unemployment, exurban migrations and land tenure conflicts and resulting in increasing human-caused fires; • Land-use change involving increasing fire use for conversion of vegetation, notably in the tropics, and expansion of land use to fire-sensitive lands, e.g., peatlands, drained or otherwise desiccating wetlands, and other fire-sensitive vegetation; • Increasing costs of fire suppression;

25 • Expansion of the wildland-urban interface in some countries and increasing vulnerabilities and greater exposure of rural settlements to increasing occurrence of severely damaging fires; • Consequences of, and the contribution to, climate change, resulting in increasing occurrence of extreme droughts in most regions, desiccation of wetlands, thawing of permafrost sites, and a general trend of increasing area burned, fire intensity, fire severity, and longer fire seasons; • Human health and security threatened by increasing wildfire activity and land-use fires causing release of a greater amount of pollutants and resulting in greater public exposure to hazardous emissions, including transboundary transport of fire smoke pollution at regional to global levels; • Human security and peace threatened by fires burning on radioactively contaminated lands, by fires on areas with unresolved conflicts, and on territories with post-war hazards such as landmines and unexploded ordnance.

Being cognizant of the global issues, as listed above, the representatives of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and the participants of the joint regional sessions agreed to the need to develop synergies through coordinated and collective action to address the most pressing problems related to fire management globally. Further the conference participants recommend that:

• The international wildland fire community pursue the development of a global-scale international resource sharing strategy to assist countries with fire management planning activities (including prescribed fire for ecological purposes and fuels management), and active support during periods of wildland fire; • The FAO promote the global adoption of Incident Command System (ICS) including the publishing of an annual list of countries which have implemented ICS; • Regional strategies for fire management be developed and designed to the specific needs of regions; • An international framework for fire management standards be developed and regional wildland fire training be supported, especially to meet the needs for capacity building in developing countries; • Scientific research programmes addressing the consequences of changes of climate, land use and land cover, and socio-economic changes on fire regimes, environment and society must be supported at all levels; • The Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management and the implementation of the Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines be encouraged and endorsed; • Agencies and groups be encouraged to participate in the Fire Management Actions Alliance in support of their adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines; • The UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network, the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and the Secretariat of the global network, the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), be supported by national agencies and international donors aimed at fostering international cooperation in fire management, including collecting and disseminating fire information, arranging and enhancing international policy dialogue, and supporting projects; • A series of Regional Consultations tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Regional Solutions for Fire Management” – be held globally, within the next 1-2 years, to progress the global issues that are impacting people, resources and livelihoods; • The 2nd International Wildland Fire Summit – tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Fire Management Solutions for Mitigation and Adaptation” – be held within the next 2 to 4 years under the auspices of the United Nations and partners.

The conference participants thanked the organizers and hosts of the conference for bringing together the international community responsible for wildland fire management. The participants welcomed the offer of South Africa to host the 5th International Wildland Fire Conference, tentatively in 2011.

26 Joint Meeting of the Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network International Liaison Committee (ILC) Fire Management Actions Alliance Advisory Group 4-6 and 7 July 2008, Freiburg, Germany

GFMC Calendar 2006-2008 (relevant to WFAG / GWFN)

GFMC Calendar 2006

January 2006

1-31 January 2006 Review of UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Reports for the Thematic Report on Forest Fires, FAO Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (FRA-2005); GFMC contribution to the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Wildland Fire Management and the Global Strategy for Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management (J.G. Goldammer). GFMC. http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/fra2005/en http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/globalNet.html http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/RationaleandIntroduction.html

19 January 2006 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

FAO-USFS-GFMC international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer).

23-27 January 2006 On-site work in the Twinning Light Project “Implementation of New Regulation – Forest Focus – Forest Fire” (HU2004 IB AG02-TL) (D. Nagy, A. Held and G. Ruecker); Budapest, Hungary.

27 January 2006 UNFF-ISDR-GFMC international telephone conference on UNFF-6 (J.G. Goldammer). http://www.un.org/esa/forests/session.html http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/unff.htm

February 2006

2 February 2006 GFMC staff C. Scholz leaving for field work in Costa Rica (until 8 March 2006).

6 February 2006 FAO-USFS-GFMC international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer).

6-9 February 2006 On-site work in the Twinning Light Project “Implementation of New Regulation – Forest Focus – Forest Fire” (HU2004 IB AG02-TL) (H. Abberger); Budapest, Hungary.

1

8-10 February 2006 Final meeting of the Twinning Light Project “Implementation of New Regulation – Forest Focus – Forest Fire” (HU2004 IB AG02-TL), with German Federal Ministry of Consumer protection, Food and Agriculture and Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development, Hungary, State Forest Service (J.G. Goldammer and D. Nagy); Budapest, Hungary.

16 February 2006 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

21 February 2006 FAO-USFS-GFMC international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer).

20-24 February 2006 United Nations Forum on Forests, 6th Session (UNFF-6) (J.G. Goldammer); UN headquarters, New York, USA. http://www.un.org/esa/forests/session.html http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/unff.htm

March 2006

6-10 March 2006 Kick-off meeting EU FIRE PARADOX (J.G. Goldammer, D. Kraus); Lisboa, Portugal. http://www.mtda.fr/fire_paradox/index.php http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/other/FireParadox.html

20-22 March 2006 FAO wildland fire expert meeting (J.G. Goldammer); FAO, Rome, Italy.

29-29 March 2006 Third International Early Warning Conference (EWC-III) (J. G. Goldammer); Bonn, Germany. http://www.ewc3.org/ http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/meet2006_1.htm

April 2006

2-7 April 2006 On-site work in the PHARE Institution Building Programme - Twinning Project “Strengthening of the Administrative Capacity of the State Forestry Administration of Bulgaria” (BG/2004/IB/AG/04/UE) (Fire Management) (J.G. Goldammer); Sofia, Bulgaria.

18-25 April 2006 Fourth International Symposium on Sustainable Management of Forest Resources (SIMFOR 2006 – co-sponsored by GFMC) and First International Workshop on Fire Management (P.D. Kraus); Pinar del Río, Cuba. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/2006/meet2006_05.htm

2 25 April 2006 Meeting with the German Weather Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst – DWD) / World Meteorological Organization (WMO) concerning wildland fire smoke dispersion modelling; GFMC.

28 April 2006 Meeting of the Executive Board, German National Committee for Disaster Reduction within the UN-ISDR (Deutsches Komitee für Katastrophenvorsorge - DKKV) (J.G. Goldammer); Bonn, Germany. http://www.dkkv.org/

May 2006

8-9 May 2006 Meeting of the International Liaison Committee of the series of International Wildland Fire Conferences, in preparation of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (to be hosted by the Government of Spain, Madrid, 6-10 May 2007) (J.G. Goldammer); Madrid, Spain. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/2007/meet2007_01.htm

10-12 May 2006 FAO International Expert Consultation on Wildland Fire (J.G. Goldammer and C. Scholz); Madrid, Spain.

11-12 May 2006 Conference on Promoting Partnerships for the Implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution – a call for partnerships for the implementation of the Agreement (P.D. Kraus); Ha Noi, Viet Nam.

16 May 2006 Work visit of the Co-Director of the EU / GTZ-Indonesia Forest Fire Management Project, Palembang (Sumatra), Mr. K.-H. Steinmann; GFMC.

18 May 2006 Meeting and field visit with County Administrative Board of Västernorrland, Nature Conservation Office, concerning prescribed burning candidate sites for the European Fire in Nature Conservation Network and FIRE PARADOX (J.G. Goldammer); Sundsvall, Sweden. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/natcon/natcon.htm http://www.mtda.fr/fire_paradox/index.php http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/other/FireParadox.html

23-26 May 2006 Meeting of the Regional Southeast Europe Wildland Fire Network in tandem with the 33rd Session of the FAO European Forestry Commission (J.G. Goldammer); Zvolen, Slovakia. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/SEEurope.html Cross Sectoral Approach to Forest Sector Issues: Wood Energy, Implications of Kyoto Protocol; and Cooperation on Forest Fires (EFC-33 Background Document EFC/2006/4 Rev.1) (PDF, 60 KB)

3 June 2006

13 June 2006 Meeting with the Executive Secretary of the European Council Euro-Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA), Mr. Eladio Fernandez-Galiano, concerning cooperation with the European Centre on Forest Fires; GFMC.

15 June 2006 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

18-24 June 2006 On-site work in the PHARE Institution Building Programme - Twinning Project “Strengthening of the Administrative Capacity of the State Forestry Administration of Bulgaria” (BG/2004/IB/AG/04/UE) (Fire Management) (J.G. Goldammer); Sofia, Bulgaria.

26 June 2006 Meeting of the Committee of Permanent Correspondents of the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) (Open Partial Agreement on the Prevention of, Protection Against, and Organisation of Relief in Major Natural and Technological Disasters), Council of Europe (J.G. Goldammer); , . http://www.coe.int/europarisks

July 2006

11 July 2006 Inauguration of the UN Campus in Bonn under the patronage of the Chancellor Merkel, German Government, and UN Secretary General Kofi Anan (J.G. Goldammer); Bonn, Germany. http://www.ehs.unu.edu/article:234?menu=61

12-14 July 2006 Follow-up work with FAO Forest Department on the development of the Fire Management Code and the Strategy for International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management (J.G. Goldammer); FAO Rome, Italy.

20 July 2006 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

August 2006

25-31 August 2006 13th Conference of the International Boreal Forest Research Association (IBFRA) and field visits of prescribed burning experiments in Västernorrland and adjoining regions (D. Kraus); Umeå, Sweden. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/2006/meet2006_08.htm http://www.sfak.slu.se/ShowPage.cfm?OrgenhetSida_ID=4763

4 30-31 August 2006 International Disaster Reduction Conference, Forest Fire Session and UN-ISDR WG Environment Meeting (J.G. Goldammer); Davos, Switzerland http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/rel_meet_03.htm

September 2006

6-8 September 2006 Follow-up work with FAO Forest Department on the development of the Fire Management Code and the Strategy for International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management (J.G. Goldammer); FAO Rome, Italy. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/GFMC-Bulletin-02-2006.doc

10-16 September 2006 On-site work in the PHARE Institution Building Programme - Twinning Project “Strengthening of the Administrative Capacity of the State Forestry Administration of Bulgaria” (BG/2004/IB/AG/04/UE) (Fire Management) (J.G. Goldammer); Sofia, Bulgaria.

21 September 2006 Preparation of OSCE- led Environmental Assessment Mission to Fire-Affected Areas in Nagornoa-Karabakh, in Fulfilment of the UNGA Resolution A/60/L.60/Rev.2 “The Situation in the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan : Revised Draft Resolution / Azerbaijan” (6 September 2006) (J.G. Goldammer); Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Vienna, Austria. http://daccess-ods.un.org/TMP/1510852.html

28-30 September 2006 First International Northeast Asia Forest Fire Conference and Third International Meeting of the Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network (J.G. Goldammer); Khabarovsk, Russia. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Northeast-Asia/Northeastasia_7e.html

October 2006

2-13 October 2006 OSCE-led Environmental Assessment Mission to Fire-Affected Areas in Nagornoa-Karabakh, in Fulfilment of the UNGA Resolution A/RES/60/285 “The Situation in the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan: Revised Draft Resolution / Azerbaijan” (7 September 2006) (J.G. Goldammer, S. Teusan, N. Nikolov); Azerbaijan, Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia (Baku, Ganja region, Armenia border region, Tiblisi, Stepanakert / Khankendi region, Yerevan). • http://www.osce.org/item/21681.html

• http://www.osce.org/item/21702.html

• http://www.osce.org/item/21703.html

• http://www.osce.org/item/21728.html

• http://www.osce.org/item/21729.html

5

16-20 October 2006 Fire Management workshop, PHARE Institution Building Programme - Twinning Project “Strengthening of the Administrative Capacity of the State Forestry Administration of Bulgaria” (BG/2004/IB/AG/04/UE) (Fire Management) (J.G. Goldammer); Sofia-Borovetz, Bulgaria.

23-28 October 2006 United Nations University (UNU) / GFMC Advanced Training Course for Fire Management in Sub-Saharan Savannah Ecosystems, sponsored by the German Foreign Office, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and conducted with the UNISDR regional Subsahara Wildland Fire Network (AfriFireNet) and Working on Fire (WoF) (D. Kraus, A. Held); Kruger National Park, South Africa. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/unu/unu.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Africa/Afrifirenet.html http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/WoF/welcome.html

November 2006

8 November 2006 GOFC-GOLD Fire IT / GFMC telephone conference; University of Maryland / GFMC. http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

9-10 November 2006 Kick-off meeting of the European Wildland Fire Management Handbook, EU Leonardo da Vinci programme, a joint effort of GFMC and the Commission on Forest Fires, International Technical Committee for the Prevention and Extinction of Fire (CTIF), facilitated by Rural Development Initiatives (J.G. Goldammer, M. Jones, C. Glaister); London, UK. www.leonardo.ecotec.co.uk/ http://www.ctif.org/ http://www.ctif.org/index.php?page_id=2024

27-28 November 2006 Meeting of the International Liaison Committee (ILC), 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (13-17 May 2007, Sevilla, Spain) (J.G. Goldammer); Coimbra, Portugal.

28-30 November 2006 Group of Earth Observations Plenary (M. Brady); Bonn, Germany http://www.earthobservations.org/meetings/meetings.html

December 2006

30 November – 1 December 2006 International Early Warning Programme (IEWP) Advisory Group Meeting, hosted by the UN/ISDR Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning, topics among other: Development of the Global Wildland Fire Early Warning System (J.G. Goldammer, M. Brady); Bonn, Germany. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/fwf/EWS.htm http://www.unisdr.org/ppew/

6

4-6 December 2006 2nd GOFC/GOLD Workshop on Geostationary Fire Monitoring and Applications (J.G. Goldammer); Darmstadt, Germany. http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/implementation/events/meetings/index.asp http://gofc- fire.umd.edu/products/pdfs/Events/GOFC_GEO_Workshop_announcement_2006_final.pdf

11-15 December 2006 2nd FIRE PARADOX Plenary (J.G. Goldammer, D. Kraus); Las Palmas, Spain. http://www.fireparadox.org/ http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/other/FireParadox.html

18-19 December 2006 Work visit of the GEO Secretariat (Mr. G. Rum) in preparation of the Global Wildland Fire Information System (J.G. Goldammer); GFMC. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/fwf/EWS.htm http://www.earthobservations.org/about/about_GEO.html

GFMC Calendar 2007

January 2007

1-15 January 2007 Preparation of reports and projects:

Joint report of GFMC and European Center for Forest Fires (ECFF) / Council of Europe (CoE) to the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference “Vegetation Fire Smoke: Nature, Impacts and Policies to Reduce Negative Consequences on Humans and the Environment” • http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/majorhazards/centres/presentation/ecff_en.asp • www.wildfire07.es

GEO Task No. DI-06-13 “Implementation of a Fire Warning System at Global Level” • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/fwf/EWS.htm • http://www.earthobservations.org/about/about_GEO.html

9 January 2007 Work visit of the Co-Director of the EU / GTZ-Indonesia Forest Fire Management Project, Palembang (Sumatra), Mr. K.-H. Steinmann; GFMC. http://www.ssffmp.or.id/ http://www.ssffmp.or.id/default.asp

19 January 2007 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

7 21-23 January 2006 International consultation on impacts of fire and land use on soils with GFMC staff, Deborah A. Martin and John Moody (U.S. Geological Survey); GFMC

26 January 2006 Meeting at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt – DLR), German Space Agency, on an innovative global vegetation fire observation system / AUSBIRD (J.G. Goldammer); DLR, Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany. http://www.zki.caf.dlr.de/fire_modis_show_overpasses_de.html http://www.dlr.de/os/forschung/projekte/bird/bird_01.html

28-31 January 2006 Meeting of Fire Paradox consortium members contributing to the module “Fire Policies and Practices Assessment”; GFMC. • http://www.fireparadox.org/

29 January 2006 Work visit of Volkswagen Foundation; GFMC.

February 2007

1 February 2007 Mr Sundar P. Sharma, Assistant Soil Conservation Officer, Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention (DWIDP), Kathmandu, Nepal, starting work as GFMC UNISDR Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network officer; GFMC

Mr. P. Daniel Kraus leaving for field work in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, India.

13-16 February 2007 Country - Led Initiative in support of the United Nations Forum on Forests “Multi Year Programme of Work of United Nations Forum on Forests: Charting the Way Forward to 2015” (J.G. Goldammer); Bali, Indonesia. • http://www.un.org/esa/forests/

16 February 2007 GOFC-GOLD/GFMC presentation at the Forty-fourth session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) on “Use of Space Systems for Wildland Fire Early Warning, Monitoring and Decision Support in Wildfire Disaster Management” (by Johann G. Goldammer, Chris Justice [GOFC-GOLD Fire Monitoring and Mapping Implementation Team] and Giovanni Rum [GEO Secretariat]); UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA), Vienna, Austria. • http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/COPUOS/stsc/2007/index.html • http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/COPUOS/copuos.html • http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/index.html

19-23 February 2007 Symposium “Fire Ecology and Management in Indian Forests” and consultation on the foundation of the UNISDR Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network (P.D.Kraus); Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.

8 27 February 2007 Joint meeting of GFMC, GOFC-GOLD, GEO Secretariat and WMO concerning the development of the “Global Early Warning System for Wildland Fire” (J.G. Goldammer); WMO, Geneva, Switzerland. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/fwf/EWS.htm

March 2007

1 March 2007 Mr Michael Bruce, Manager Glen Tanar Estate and Managing Director Services Ltd., starting work as GFMC officer responsible for the EUROFIRE project, a collaborative project of GFMC and CTIF in partnership with FIRE PARADOX; GFMC.

12-15 March 2007 18thSession of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO): Discussion of the non-legally binding Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management, including the (a) Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines; (b) Implementation Partnership; (c) Global Assessment of Fire Management; and (d) Review of International Cooperation in Fire Management (.G. Goldammer); FAO, Rome, Italy. • www.fao.org/forestry/site/35915/en • http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/en/ • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/fao.htm

18-21 March 2007 Regional Wildland Fire Consultation on the Development of a Strategy on International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Regional South East European / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network, coordinated by GFMC and the UNISDR Regional South East European / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network, hosted by Bulgaria (J.G. Goldammer); Sofia, Bulgaria. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/SEEurope.html

26-27 March 2007 International Early Warning Programme (IEWP) Advisory Group Meeting, hosted by the UN/ISDR Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning, topics among other: Development of the Global Wildland Fire Early Warning System (J.G. Goldammer); Bonn, Germany. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/fwf/EWS.htm • http://www.unisdr.org/ppew/

April 2007

Most GFMC resources in April will be largely devoted to the preparation of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference, Sevilla, Spain, 14-17 May 2007. • www.wildfire07.es • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/2007/meet2007_01.htm

1 April 2007 New staff member, Ms. Leticia Koproski, Médica Veterinária, M.Sc. forest, PhD student in forest science at the Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil, and Projeto Fogo

9 Selvagem (Parque Nacional de Ilha Grande, PR/MS) and Projeto Fogo Selvagem (Parque Estadual do Cerrado, PR) starting work at GFMC, until March 2008; GFMC.

2-3 April 2007 Foundation meeting of the UNISDR Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network (S. Sharma, J.G. Goldammer); Kathmandu, Nepal. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/South_Asia/south_asia_WFN_1.html

19-20 April 2007 Steering Committee meeting of the EuroFire project (European Wildland Fire Management Handbook, EU Leonardo da Vinci programme), a joint effort of GFMC and the Commission on Forest Fires, International Technical Committee for the Prevention and Extinction of Fire (CTIF), facilitated by Rural Development Initiatives (J.G. Goldammer, M. Bruce); London, UK. • www.leonardo.ecotec.co.uk/ • http://www.ctif.org/ • http://www.ctif.org/index.php?page_id=2024

27 April 2007 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. • http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

May 2007

1-3 May 2007 33rd Session of the Conference of Directors of the United Nations University (UNU) (CONDIR33) (J.G. Goldammer); UNU-MERIT, Maastricht, The Netherlands. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/unu/unu.htm

4 May 2007 Meeting of Fire Paradox WP10.3 (Production of new training possibilities for fire professionals) and WP10.4 (Exchanges between prescribed burning and suppression fire practitioners) (D. Kraus, A. Held), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Unité de Recherches Forestières Méditerranéennes, Avignon, France.

12-18 May 2007 4th International Wildland Fire Conference with meeting of the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network (J.G. Goldammer, S. Sharma, M. Bruce); Sevilla, Spain. • http://www.wildfire07.es/ • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/2007/meet2007_01.htm • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/globalNet.html • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/05/news_20070514_un.htm

10 13 May 2007 Meeting of the Steering Committee and the International Advisory Board of the EuroFire project (European Wildland Fire Management Handbook, EU Leonardo da Vinci programme) (J.G. Goldammer, M. Bruce, P. Bowers); meeting held as a side event of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference London (J.G. Goldammer, S. Sharma, M. Bruce); Sevilla, Spain. • www.leonardo.ecotec.co.uk/ • http://www.ctif.org/ • http://www.ctif.org/index.php?page_id=2024

19 May 2007 Meeting with Mr. O. Simonett, UNEPGRID GRID Arendal Programme Director, UNEP Regional Office for Europe, concerning future activities in fire management in the Caucasus Region; GFMC. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/about4_2006.html#October

June2007

5-7 June 2007 First meeting of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction under the auspices of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) (J.G. Goldammer); UN, Geneva, Switzerland. • http://www.preventionweb.net/globalplatform/ • UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network Side Event (draft agenda)

11-14 June 2007 EuroFire and Fire Paradox coordination meeting on competency-based fire management training in Europe (M. Bruce); Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain. • http://www.euro-fire.eu/ • http://www.fireparadox.org/

14 June 2007 Final Conference of the European Fire and Rescue Competence-based Project (FiReComp) with GFMC participation to establish links with the EuroFire and the Fire Paradox project on vocational training on a European level (D. Kraus); Amsterdam, Netherlands. • http://www.firecomp.eu/ • http://www.euro-fire.eu/ • http://www.fireparadox.org/

GOFC-GOLD Fire IT international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer, S. Sharma); AT&T. • http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

18-21 June 2007 3rd FIRE PARADOX General Assembly (D. Kraus); Cagliari, Sardegna, Italy • http://www.fireparadox.org/ • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/other/FireParadox.html

11 21 June 2007 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. • http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

24 June - 1 July 2007 The 10th European Heathland Workshop with field excursion from Central to Northern Norway (Daniel Kraus); Trondheim, Bodø, Norway • http://www.heathlands2007.uib.no/index.htm

28-29 June 2007 Fire Paradox coordination meeting on new training possibilities for fire professionals in Europe (M. Bruce); Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. • http://www.fireparadox.org/ • http://www.euro-fire.eu/

July 2007

6 July 2007 National wildland fire management coordination meeting with GFMC, German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), Association (Deutscher Feuerwehrverband), and the German National Committee for Disaster Reduction within the UNISDR (Deutsches Komitee für Katastrophenvorsorge - DKKV); GFMC.

15-17 July 2007 Expert Consultation Meeting on Wildfire Early Warning and Detection Systems (J.G. Goldammer), Lattakia, Syria.

25-28 July 2007 International Meeting on “Reduction of Disaster Risk from Catastrophic Wildfires in the Chernobyl Irradiated Forests” under the auspices of the National Agricultural University of Ukraine, Yale University, GFMC / UNISDR (J.G. Goldammer); Kiev, Ukraine.

29 July - 1 August 2007 Deployment of GFMC staff to assess the wildfire situation in Kosovo and to coordinate fire response, on request by the UN and on behalf of the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit (A.C. Held); Prishtina, Kosovo.

• http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/07/0728/20070728_ba.htm • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/07/0730/20070730_ba.htm • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/07/0731/20070731_ba.htm • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/08/0802/20070802_ba.htm

12 August 2007

1-14 August 2007 GFMC mission to the termination workshop “Lokakarya berbagi pengalaman, pengetahuan dan keterampilan dalam pengelolaan kebakaran hutan dan lah an” of the EU-GTZ-supported „South Sumatra Forest Fire Management Project” (Kerjasama teknis komisi Eropa – Pemerintah Indonesia) (J.G. Goldammer); Palembang, Sumatera Selatan, Indonesia. • http://www.ssffmp.or.id/

19-26 August 2007 Fire assessment mission to Serbia in the frame of the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network (J.G. Goldammer, N. Nikolov, V. Jovanovic); Beograde, Vojvodina, Tara-Mitrovac, Vodena poljana, Kopaoniku, Vlasina, Serbia. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/SEEurope.html

28 August – 2 September 2007 Fire assessment mission to Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on on request by the UN and on behalf of the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, in conjunction with the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network (J.G. Goldammer, N. Nikolov); Skopje, Macedonia.

September 2007

6 September 2007 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. • http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

13-20 September 2007 Mongolia field mission to prepare prescribed burning research plots in the frame of the Eurasian Fire in Nature Conservation Network (EFNCN) and Fire Paradox, and the development of a Mongolian-Russian-English Wildland Fire Terminology and a fire research programme and fire management training curricula at the Mongolian Agriculture University, Forestry Department, and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the GTZ- Programme "Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources" (J.G. Goldammer, S. Teusan); Ulaanbaatar, Suchbaatar, Tunkel, Mongolia. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/CentralAsia/CentralAsia.html

October 2007

2-14 October 2007 Training Course on Community Based Fire Management (CBFiM) for Community Forest Users Group in the frame of the UNISDR Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network, supported by the German Foreign Office, Task Force for Humanitarian Assistance (S. Sharma, D. Kraus); Chaukitole, Hetauda, Makawanpur, Nepal. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/South_Asia/Front_RSAWFN.html

13 5-8 October 2007 Preparatory field work for prescribed burning operations in National Park "Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft" in the frame of the Eurasian Fire in Nature Conservation Network (EFNCN) (J.G. Goldammer); Hiddensee, Germany • http://www.darss.net/english/national_park • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/natcon/natcon.htm

10-13 October 2007 EuroFire planning meeting (European Wildland Fire Management Handbook, EU Leonardo da Vinci programme) (A. Held); Porto, Portugal. • http://www.euro-fire.eu/

AfriFireNet planning meeting for Mozambique and Angola activities (A. Held); Coimbra, Portugal. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Africa/Afrifirenet.html

15-16 October 2007 8th National Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction on “Disaster Risk Reduction in a Changing Climate”. German Committee for Disaster Reduction (Deutsches Komitee für Katastrophenvorsorge – DKKV) within the ISDR and Center for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction Technology (CEDIM), Karlsruhe University; public lecture by J.G. Goldammer «Klimawandel und Feuer: Sind die Wälder der Erde noch zu retten? Eine kritische Analyse weltweiter Waldbrände und Waldverbrennung unter dem Vorzeichen des Klimawandels» (J.G. Goldammer, L. Koproski); Karlsruhe, Germany. • http://www.cedim.de/forum2007.php

17 October 2007 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. • http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

20-23 October 2007 Training course “Use of Fire Suppression Hand Tools” at the Croatian Fire Service within the framework of the FAO TCP "National Strategy for Forest Fire Protection" (3-XII-CRO-201) (A. Held); Split, Croatia.

25 October – 3 November 2007 Working on Fire / AfriFireNet Implementation meeting (A. Held); Nelspruit, South Africa. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/WoF/welcome.html • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Africa/Afrifirenet.html

Planning meeting of the National Organising Committee of the 5th International Wildland Fire Conference 2011 (A. Held); Sun City, South Africa. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/WoF/pressrelease_2011.html • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Africa/Afrifirenet.html

28 October – 3 November 2007 Foro Centroamericano sobre Manejo del Fuego: Incendios forestales una realidad en Centroamerica. GTZ Trifinio trilateral fire management project El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras (J. G. Goldammer); San Salvador, El Salvador. • Forum programme 14

November 2007

6-9 November 2007 Silvotecna 2007: Symposium “Incendios Forestales: Amenazas y Desafíos en un Escenario de Calentamiento Global” (J.G. Goldammer); Concepción, Chile. • http://www.silvotecna.co.cl/

12-16 November 2007 West Africa Regional Network Meeting on Earth Observation and Environmental Change, in conjunction with the GOFC-GOLD Workshop on Requirements for Fire Early Warning Systems in Africa (J.G. Goldammer, A. Held); University of Ghana (Legon), Accra, Ghana. • http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/products/pdfs/Events/GG_Africa_Week%201st_Ann.pdf

December 2007

2-4 December 2007 Fire Management Actions Alliance Advisory Group meeting (J. G. Goldammer); FAO, Rome, Italy. • http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/en/

4-5 December 2007 UN OCHA Rosersberg Initiative Working Group Meeting (J. G. Goldammer); La Marsa, Les Côtes de Carthage, Tunisia. • http://ochaonline.un.org/ToolsServices/EmergencyRelief/EnvironmentalEmergencies/Ro sersbergInitiative/tabid/2647/Default.aspx

5-7 December 2007 Paradox 10.3 Advisory Group meeting and Paradox – EuroFire coordination meeting (A. Held); Lisbon, Portugal. • http://www.euro-fire.eu/ • http://www.fireparadox.org/ • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/other/FireParadox.html

16-17 December 2007 4th Meeting of the Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network (L. Kondrashov for J.G. Goldammer); Harbin, China.

11-19 December 2007 National Round Table on Fire Management, Nepal (J.G. Goldammer, S. Sharma); Kathmandu, Nepal. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/South_Asia/Front_RSAWFN.html

15 GFMC Calendar 2008

January 2008

1-23 January 2008 Preparation of reports and projects of the first half of 2008:

• Symposium on Fire Management in Cultural and Natural Landscapes, Nature Conservation and Forestry in Temperate-Boreal Eurasia (GFMC, Freiburg, Germany, 25-28 January 2008) • Meeting of United Nations University (UNU) Research and Training Centres and Programmes (Directors of UNU and Associated Institutes) (UNU International Network on Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton, Canada, 21-22 April 2008) • “Breath the risk: Threat and status of pyrogenic emissions of particles on human health” (UN Headquarters, New York, U.S.A., 23 April 2008) • “Energy security: The role of vegetation fires as substantial factor in maintaining fire- dependent ecosystems vs. the need of utilizing the biofuel energy potential for securing energy demands of a growing global population (Washington, D.C., U.S.A., 24 April 2008) • First International Central Asian Wildland Fire Joint Conference and Consultation “Wildland Fires in Natural Ecosystems of the Central Asian Region: Ecology and Management Implications Associated with the First Central Asian Forest Fire Experiment (Ulaanbaatar, Tunkhel, Mongolia, 27-31 May 2008) • “Regional Balkan Wildland Fire Crisis Conference” (or “Summit”), tentatively under the joint auspices of UN specialized agencies and programmes (UNDP, UNEP, the Joint UNEP / OCHA Environment Unit, FAO), the European Commission, Council of Europe / EUR-OPA, ENVESC, OSCE and NATO, and facilitated by the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and its regional network, the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network (tentatively Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, May 2008) • High Level Conference on Climate Change and Bio-energy (FAO, Feb/June 2008) • ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network / International Liaison Committee (ILC) (GFMC, Freiburg, Germany, June 2008)

7-10 January 2008 Training course on Wildland Fire Signature Prediction Methods: the Campbell Prediction System (CPS) with DGESC-GRAF in the frame of the Exchange of Experts Programme (A. Held, D. Kraus); Tarragona, Spain.

16 January 2008 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. • http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

25-28 January 2008 Symposium on Fire Management in Cultural and Natural Landscapes, Nature Conservation and Forestry in Temperate-Boreal Eurasia; GFMC, Freiburg, Germany. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/natcon/EFNCN-meetings-1-2008.html

16 February 2008

4-5 February 2008 Meeting of the Committee of Permanent Correspondents of the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) (Open Partial Agreement on the Prevention of, Protection Against, and Organisation of Relief in Major Natural and Technological Disasters), Council of Europe (J.G. Goldammer); Paris, France. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/europe-org/coe.htm

8 February 2008 Meeting of the Executive Board and Member Forum, German National Committee for Disaster Reduction within the UN-ISDR (Deutsches Komitee für Katastrophenvorsorge - DKKV) (J.G. Goldammer); Bonn, Germany. • http://www.dkkv.org/

11 February 2008 International telecom of the UNISDR Working Group “Environment” (J.G. Goldammer).

21 February 2008 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

28-29 February 2008 Preparatory Expert Meeting for the FAO High-Level Conference on World Food Security and the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy (J.G. Goldammer); FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy. • http://www.fao.org/foodclimate/home.html • http://www.fao.org/foodclimate/expert.html • http://www.fao.org/foodclimate/expert/exp-meeting-4.html

March 2008

3 March 2008 Nikos Alexandris, PhD candidate at the Department of Remote Sensing, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Freiburg University, is joining the GFMC team as a new staff member. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/09/0903/20070903_ba.htm

13 March 2008 Annual ICS Summit (ICS Implementation, Mutual Agreements) (A Held); Dimalachite Nature Reserve, Parys, Free State, South Africa.

GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T. http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

14 March 2008 Preparatory meeting of the 5th International Wildland Fire Conference (A Held, C Austin); Sun City, South Africa. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/WoF/pressroom.html

17 17 March 2008 UNDP Project Kick-off Meeting "Development of a Fire Policy and Strategy for Botswana" (A. Held) Gaborone, Botswana

SafNET-AfriFireNet meeting. Preparation of 7th SafNet workshop and institutional arrangements between the two networks (A. Held, P. Dube); University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Africa/Afrifirenet.html • http://www.safnet.co.za/

25 March 2008 Work visit of Ben Drew, Project Director, for preparation of the International Conference (Athens, Greece, 21-22 October 2008); GFMC. • http://www.bdaero.com/ • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/2008/meet2008_09.htm

30 March – 5 April 2008 Hot Topics and Burning Issues: Fire as a Driver of System Processes – Past, Present, and Future. A PhD course being organised jointly by: The C.T. de Wit Graduate School for Production Ecology and Resource Conservation (PE&RC, Wageningen University), the Global Fire Monitoring Centre / Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the United Nations University (M. Spielmann, L. Koproski, A. Held, N. Alexandris, S. Sharma, J.G. Goldammer); Wageningen, Netherlands / Drover Heide, Germany. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/uni/postgraduate-course-wageningen.htm

April 2008

3-5 April 2008 Kick-off meeting for the BMZ funded project "Forest Fire Management in India: Integrating Ecological and Cultural Contexts and Consequences". The project is granted to the Institute for Silviculture, Freiburg University), CIFOR and ATREE with GFMC support (D. Kraus); Vishwa Yuva Kendra, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, India.

8 April 2008 Departure to field work “Community-based Fire Management in Nepal (Sundar P. Sharma); Kathmandu, field sites, Nepal. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/South_Asia/Front_RSAWFN.html

10 April 2008 GOFC-GOLD Fire IT telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T / University of Maryland / GFMC. • http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

14 April 2008 Stakeholders meeting on Disaster Prevention, Environment DG, Unit A3 - Civil Protection (J.G. Goldammer); European Commission, Brussels, . • http://ec.europa.eu/environment/civil/stakeholders_0408.htm

18 14-18 April 2008 Fire Paradox “Prescribed Burning and Integrated Fire Management Course” (S. Teusan, Oyunsanaa); Lousã, Portugal

17 April 2008 GOFC-GOLD international telephone conference (J.G. Goldammer); AT&T.

17-18 April 2008 "Working on Fire" and "5th International Wildland Fire Conference" presentation at the CTIF Forest Fire Commission meeting, (A. Held); Lisbon, Portugal. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/WoF/pressroom.html • http://www.ctif.org/www.ctif.org/

21-25 April 2008 EuroFire workshop (A. Held, S. Maisch, D. Kraus, M. Bruce); Edinburgh, Scotland. • http://www.euro-fire.eu/

22 April 2008 High-level meeting of German agencies / ministries and other entities involved in environmental emergencies on the UN OCHA Rosersberg Initiative, convened by the German Foreign Office (J. G. Goldammer); , Germany. • http://ochaonline.un.org/ToolsServices/EmergencyRelief/EnvironmentalEmergencies/Ro sersbergInitiative/tabid/2647/Default.aspx

21-22 April 2008 Meeting of United Nations University (UNU) Research and Training Centres and Programmes (Directors of UNU and Associated Institutes) at UNU-INWEH (UNU International Network on Water, Environment and Health) (J.G. Goldammer, scheduled, probably cancelled due to Rosersberg consultation in Berlin, 22 April 2008); Hamilton, Canada.

23 April 2008 GFMC / UNU presentation “Breath the risk: Threat and status of pyrogenic emissions of particles on human health” at UN Headquarters (J.G. Goldammer); UN Headquarters, New York, U.S.A. • Invitation

24 April 2008 GFMC / UNU presentation “Energy security: The role of vegetation fires as substantial factor in maintaining fire-dependent ecosystems vs. the need of utilizing the biofuel energy potential for securing energy demands of a growing global population” (J,G, Goldammer); Washington, D.C., U.S.A. • Invitation • http://www.oas.org/Photos/2008/04Apr/50/index.htm

24-25 April 2008 Training on Rapid Fire Area Mapping by ECAT Tirana (Environmental Center for Administration and Technology), SNV (Netherlands Development Organization) implemented by GMFC (N. Alexandris); Tirana, Albania.

19 28-30 April 2008 Workshop on „Forest fire prevention opportunities in Macedonia“ by SNV (Netherlands Development Organization), UNISDR Reagional South East Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network and GMFC (J.G. Goldammer); Skopje, Macedonia.

28-30 April 2008 The Timber Committee Special Session on the Strategic Review and Plan of the UNECE/FAO Integrated Programme of Work on Timber and Forestry, with participation of the team leader of the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire; UN Geneva, Switzerland. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/team.html

May 2008

5 May 2008 Meeting with Frankfurt Fire Service on collaboration on capacity building in wildland fire management (J.G. Goldammer, D. Kraus, A. Held); Frankfurt, Germany. • http://www.feuerwehr-frankfurt.de/ • http://www.euro-fire.eu/

13-15 May 2008 Workshop “Forest Fires in the Mediterranean Region: Prevention and Regional Cooperation” (J.G. Goldammer; Sabaudia, Circeo, Italy.

20 May 2008 Ad hoc meeting of experts on prevention of forest fires, Environment DG, Unit A3 - Civil Protection (J.G. Goldammer); European Commission, Brussels, Belgium. • http://ec.europa.eu/environment/civil/stakeholders_0408.htm

23 May 2008 Work visit by Projeto de Proteção à Mata Atlãntica, Rio de Janeiro (Mr. Thomas Wittur, GITEC); GFMC

26 May 2008 Stakeholder meeting on forest fires in Albania by SNV (Netherlands Development Organization) and GMFC (J.G. Goldammer); Tirana, Albania.

28 May 2008 Coordination meeting between the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk) and GFMC (J.G. Goldammer); Berlin, Germany.

30 May – 9 June 2008 First International Central Asian Wildland Fire Joint Conference and Consultation “Wildland Fires in Natural Ecosystems of the Central Asian Region: Ecology and Management Implications”, associated with the First Central Asian Forest Fire Experiment (J.G. Goldammer); Ulaanbaatar, Tunkhel, Mongolia. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/CentralAsia/CentralAsia.html

20 June 2008

9-13 June 2008 4th FIRE PARADOX General Assembly (D. Kraus); Chania, Crete, Greece • http://www.fireparadox.org/

15-16 June 2008 EuroFire Work Meeting on Training Materials (M. Bruce, A. Held, D. Kraus); London, UK • http://www.euro-fire.eu/

23-25 June 2008 Workshop “Offenlandmanagement ausserhalb landwirtschaftlicher Nutzflächen” (Management of open landscape outside agricultural land use areas), organized by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (J.G. Goldammer); International Nature Conservation Academy, Vilm Island, Germany.

July 2008

1 July 2008 Temporary GFMC staff member, Ms. Michaela Spielmann, resuming work for FIRE PARADOX (1 July – 31 August 2008); GFMC.

3-6 July 2008 Joint Meeting of the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network / International Liaison Committee (ILC) / Fire Management Actions Alliance Advisory Group (all GFMC staff); GFMC. • http://www.unisdr.org/eng/task%20force/tf-working-groups4-eng.htm

7 July 2008 Joint Meeting of International Liaison Committee (ILC) / Fire Management Actions Alliance Advisory Group; GFMC.

14 July 2008 EuroFire Work Meeting on Training Materials (A. Held, S. Maisch, M. Bruce); London, UK • http://www.euro-fire.eu/

21-25 July 2008 Summer Course "Incendios Forestales: ¿Una Catástrofe Estival Inevitable?". Presentation “Cooperación internacional en la defensa contra incendios forestales“ by J.G. Goldammer. Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. • http://www.ucm.es/info/cv/subweb/prog/programas/74113.html • Conference poster (PDF, 0.3 MB)

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IFFN / GFMC Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin # 1 / 2006 (June 2006)

Dear members of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks:

This 3rd issue of the International Forest Fire News (IFFN) / Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin is communicating brief news on international wildland fire issues. This Bulletin provides a short review of significant events in the regions of the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN) between September 2005 and May 2006. Please note that this Bulletin does not intend to provide a full-size and comprehensive picture of the wildland fire situation in the regions. The Bulletin rather intends to highlight events and processes that are of principal, regional, transboundary, or international relevance.

Recent significant events in the regions of the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks (September 2005 – May 2006): Wildland fires, policies and politics

- Note: At the end of the regional sections an online link is given to the Regional Fire Reports recently published in conjunction with the FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (FRA-2005) (see also short report on FAO activities further down). These regional reports have been prepared by rapporteurs from the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks, with assistance from the GFMC. The GFMC web page with documents on FAO’s activities includes these regional reports (an FAO website is under construction).

Europe: Mediterranean, Baltic and Southeast Europe During the winter months only few wildfires were noted in Southern Europe. Some winter fires and early spring fires caused considerable damages and forced evacuations, such as the fires burning in March 2006 in Valencia Region, Eastern Spain, which charred 1,200 ha of land and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people.

With a look to the northern European / Atlantic region a quite significant fire was noted in the Republic of Iceland. At the end of March 2006, a grassfire broke out in western Iceland. The fire burned for several days, threatening farms and livestock and resulting in Iceland’s largest fire in its recorded history: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/04/0406/20060406_ice.htm

A lasting dry-weather situation in early May also created conditions favourable for the spread of several large fires in western Norway: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/05/news_20060510_norway.htm

Additional smoke from fires burning in western Russia was transported to the Nordic countries in the same period. Smoke exposure was particularly severe in Finland where the air pollution exceeded the limits of the maximum permissible amount of airborne dust in city air of 50 micrograms per cubic metre of air for almost two weeks. Part of the emissions originated from the pollution transported from wildland fires in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/06/news_20060608_fi4.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/06/news_20060608_fi3.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/06/news_20060608_fi2.htm

MODIS satellite imageries of the regional fire and smoke episode can be seen here: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/04/0427/20060427_ru.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/05/0503/20060503_bal.htm

International Forest Fire News (IFFN) is an activity of the FAO/UNECE Team of Specialists on Forest Fire and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). IFFN is published on behalf of UNECE Timber Committee and the FAO European Forestry Commission and is serving the UN-ISDR Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN). Starting in June 2005 the IFFN/ GFMC Bulletin will provide short news and global fire update information to members of Regional Wildland Fire Networks. GFMC Website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de

In order to deal with this transboundary process a joint Russian-Finnish wildland fire exercise was held in Karelia (Finland) soon after these events: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/06/news_20060608_fi.htm

With the southward shift of easterly winds the smoke also reached and the United Kingdom. Smoke concentrations were high enough to breach the air-quality standards in some locations, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The impact of this fire smoke on UK air quality was unusual and a reason for the UK government to declare its intent for a revision of the United Nations Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution to “prevent similar occurrences in the future”: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/05/news_20060518_uk.htm

Within Europe a number of collaborative programmes are underway targeting the harmonization of fire management approaches and enhancing international cooperation in wildland fire management. In 2005-2006 the EU is sponsoring two so-called “Twinning Projects” with new member and candidate countries: The GFMC is currently supporting Hungary and Bulgaria in adapting national legislation and procedures to the fire-related requirements of the Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003 “Monitoring of forests and environmental interactions in the Community” (Forest Focus).

At the 33rd Session of the FAO European Forestry Commission (Zvolen, Slovakia, 23-26 May 2006), delegates from 21 FAO member countries discussed the process of the development of the Fire Management Code (see further below) and the development of a regional strategy for cooperation in forest fire management in Southeast Europe. They also requested FAO to support the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks (Southeast Europe, Baltic, Mediterranean) (the final report of the meeting will be released in the second half of June 2006): - http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/31096/en

FAO Regional wildland fire reports for Europe:

Regional Fire Report Mediterranean (FAO WP FM08E): - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM08E%20Mediterranean.pdf

Regional Fire Report Balkan (FAO WP FM11E): - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM11E%20Balkan.pdf

Regional Fire Report Baltic (FAO WP FM07E): - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM07E%20Baltic.pdf

Eurasia: Central Asia After another extended fire season in the Central Asian part of the Russian Federation (Buryatia, Chita and Amur regions) a Regional Central Asia Wildland Fire Consultation was held in Irkutsk, Russian Federation, on 8 September 2005: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/CentralAsia/CentralAsia_2.html

Fierce fires virtually exploded in Central Asia in early spring of 2006, many of them crossing borders of countries, e.g. the fires burning along the Russian-Mongolian border in late April / May 2006: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/05/0501/20060501_mon.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/05/0505/20060505_mon.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/05/0527/20060527_mon.htm

On the territory of China severe wildfires were battled by more than 20,000 specialized wildland firefighters in May 2006, mainly in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The most serious incident was a forest fire in Galashan, Nenjiang County, near Heihe city, Heilongjiang Province. By end of May the total length of the fire had reached 570 km: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/05/0526/20060526_cn.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/05/0527/20060527_cn.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/05/0530/20060530_cn.htm

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On the scientific-technical and policy side an interesting set of publications is available now – a special issue of UNECE/FAO International Forest Fire News (IFFN) on the Russian Federation (No. 32). This IFFN issue provides the English version of an important regional conference sponsored by the World Bank in 2003 and published in in 2004:

Fire management at an ecoregional level. International experience and new approaches in forest sector reforms. World Bank and Program on Forests (PROFOR). Alex Publishers, Moscow (ISBN 5-9618-0007-5) .

In addition IFFN exclusively published the new “Concept of Forest Fire Protection in the Russian Federation”. This new fire management policy, which reflects the results of a dialogue with the wildland fire science community during the last decade, for the first time explicitly includes the use of prescribed fire as a forest management tool. For IFFN No. 32 see: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/iffn/iffn_32/content32.htm

FAO Regional wildland fire report: Regional Fire Report Central Asia (FAO WP FM16E): - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM16E%20Central%20Asia.pdf

North East Asia The Regional Central Asia and Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Networks are closely linked by large countries that are members of both networks – China and Russia. In Central Asia border-crossing wildfires and fire smoke – notably between Russia, Mongolia and China – are a recurrent phenomenon to be addressed by dialogue and cooperation between the countries. This is reflected by the participation of the NE Asian Regional Wildland Fire Network in the above-mentioned Central Asian consultation in September 2005.

Soon after the conference the rather typical autumn fires – many of them burning in desiccated peatlands – engulfed large parts of the Far East of Russia (see GFMC report of 12 October 2005) and caused extreme air pollution in Khabarovsk – as can be seen in the GFMC report of 4 November 2005: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2005/10/1012/20051012_ru.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2005/11/1104/20051104_ru.htm

In order to consolidate intra-regional cooperation within NE Asia a technical meeting of the Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network was held in conjunction with the International Symposium on Forest Fire Protection, hosted by the Japanese National Research Institute of Fire and Disaster (NRIFD), 30 November to 2 December 2005, Tokyo, Japan.

In September 2006 Russia will host the First International Northeast Asia Forest Fire Conference in conjunction with the Third International Meeting of the Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network, to be held in Khabarovsk, 28-30 September 2006. For further information on the conference and network meeting please observe this website: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Northeast-Asia/Northeastasia_7.html

FAO Regional wildland fire report: Regional Fire Report North East Asia (FAO WP FM06E) - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM06E%20North%20East%20Asia.pdf

South East Asia The most significant political event in the ASEAN region was the Conference on Promoting Partnerships for the Implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution which was held on 11-12 May 2006 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. The Conference was organised jointly by the Viet Nam Environmental Protection Agency (VEPA) and the ASEAN Secretariat, and sponsored by the Government of Viet Nam and the ASEAN-UNDP Partnership Facility (AUPF) project.

3 The Conference intended to promote and strengthen partnerships between ASEAN Member Countries and relevant regional and international organisations, donor communities and other partners/ supporters for the effective implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, with particular focus on sustainable management of peatlands in Southeast Asia. The Conference will come up with agreed regional priorities and mechanisms to promote and sustain partnerships for the implementation of the Agreement. The “Ha Noi Statement on Promoting Partnerships for the Implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution”, released by the conference participants included a statement concerning the development of the Fire Management Code:

International efforts such as the proposed “Fire Management Code”, which is being developed under the auspices of FAO, are useful to galvanise the international community’s interests and efforts, and to strengthen activities at the national and regional levels.

Full text of the Ha Noi Statement: - http://www.fire.uni- freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SouthEastAsia/ASEAN_CONFERENCE%20STATEMENT- FINAL_Hanoi_2006.pdf

FAO Regional wildland fire report: Regional Fire Report South East Asia (FAO WP FM10E) - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM10E%20South%20East%20Asia.pdf

Australasia In this region an unprecedented fire disaster occurred in New Caledonia, an 18,000 square kilometres overseas territory of France located in Oceania. Starting on 23 December 2005 a wildfire burned more than 4500 ha of natural forest in the South of the main island. The threat of affecting or extinguishing some of the 3,500 plant species – out of which about 80 percent are endemic – prompted the government to dispatch 82 firefighters from France: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2005/12/1230/20051230_nc.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0101/20060101_nc.htm

In Victoria, Australia, firefighters contained a bushfire on 3 February 2006 that burnt out more than half the Grampians National Park, ending Victoria's bushfire emergency. The fire, which had a perimeter of 363 km, began on 20 January and claimed two lives. In total the fire burnt out 130,000 ha and destroyed 40 dwellings, 72 farm sheds and more than 62,400 sheep. About 50-60 % of the Grampians National Park had been burned in the fire. - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0125/20060125_au.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0125/20060126_au.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0127/20060127_au.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0130/20060131_au.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/02/news_20060202_au3.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/02/news_20060206_au.htm

On the Mariana Islands – a commonwealth in political union with the U.S.A. – the U.S. Forest Service continued its yearly training of hotshot firefighters in Saipan. The hotshots are trained and prepared to assist wildfire fighting in the U.S. mainland if required: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/03/news_20060328_sai.htm

In continuation of fostering regional cooperation in wildland fire management the Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) Annual Conference – Australasia’s pre-eminent annual emergency management forum incorporating the 2006 annual Bushfire CRC Conference – will be held on 10-13 August 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. The Joint AFAC/IFCAA (International Fire Chiefs' Association of Asia) Conference 2006 will bring together emergency management professionals from emergency service organisations, local, state and federal governments, NGOs, community groups and industry. Delegates are expected from Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, SE Asia, Japan, China, Middle East, Europe and the Americas. The theme of the meeting is ‘Building our Legacy’ and it is expected

4 that up to 1,500 delegates from around the world will attend the 2006 conference. See conference websites: http://www.afac2006.org/index.html http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/2006/meet2006_06.htm

FAO Regional wildland fire report: Regional Fire Report Australasia (FAO WP FM13E) - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM13E%20Australasia.pdf

Subsahara Africa In the Western Cape region of South Africa fires started to burn a few days before Christmas 2005. Examples of reports provided in the GFMC daily updates show the successful involvement of the South African “Working on Fire” (WoF) Programme: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2005/12/1227/20051224_za.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0130/20060130_za.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0127/20060127_za.htm

Exceptional good in most of Southern Africa (some regions received more than double average annual rainfall) resulted in lush growth of vegetation, especially in Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa. Thus, the 2006 fire season started late, but could prove to be a severe one.

Members of the Regional Subsahara Wildland Fire Network (AfriFireNet) changed leadership between September 2005 and May 2006. In September 2005 Mr. Alex Held, GFMC staff until June 2005, took over the coordination of the network from Dr. Cornelis (Neels) de Ronde. Taking the opportunity of this Bulletin, the GFMC, on behalf of the Global Wildland Fire Network, would like to express warm thanks to Neels de Ronde for his outstanding efforts and success to build the network. Alex Held was and continues to be strongly involved with the Wildland Fire Training Center Africa and the South African “Working on Fire” (WoF) Programme. Since early 2006 AfriFireNet is now officially hosted by WoF: - www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Africa/Afrifirenet_1.html

That does not only provide AfriFireNet with office space and administration capacities but also gives the network the option to draw from their experience and fire management resources. In case of a fire emergency the pool of fire-fighters, 4x4 fire trucks and fire-fighting aircraft would be available for the network at a very reasonable cost. In addition the helicopters could do any disaster-related flying work, if required.

In Botswana – to mention examples of field, outreach and research activities – an international consulting group, based in Maun, is developing a Fire Management Plan for the Okavango Delta (Ramsar site), to be delivered by July 2006. The Fire Management Team at the Department of Forestry and Range Resources have been very pro-active in organising funds and political back-up to establish some capacity building in fire management for Botswana. Training courses on Basic Fire Fighting and Prescribed Burning as well as a course on Advanced Fire Management with the support of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) are about to follow between July and November 2006. Funding for these activities has been provided by FAO; finances for the advanced training course are being requested by the GFMC from UN-OCHA and the German Foreign Office.

In cooperation with and in the framework of the GTZ PRODER project in central Mozambique, WoF / AfriFireNet, GFMC and the Regional South America Wildland Fire Network are delivering basic fire management training for communities in and around the Gorongosa National Park. Focus will be on fire weather and its influence on fire behaviour.

Following the good fire research tradition of the Kruger National Park and continuing the SAFARI campaigns, a research programme will start in 2006 and continue for the next 4 years.

FAO Regional wildland fire report: Regional Fire Report SubSahara Africa (FAO WP FM09E) - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM09E%20SubSahara%20Africa.pdf

5 North America Towards the end of the 2005 fire season, a brush fire exploded in late September 2005 northwest of Los Angeles, California. Growing to more than 6,500 ha in around two days, the blaze threatened homes, natural resources, power lines, and communications equipment in the Thousand Oaks region north of the Santa Monica Mountains: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2005/09/0930/20050929_us.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2005/10/1006/20051006_us.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2005/10/1004/20051004_us.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2005/10/1002/20051002_us.htm

The winter droughts favoured the occurrence of extended grass fires all over the United States. The following reports from the media reveal the high vulnerability of rural residential areas and other values at risk to the fierce, often high-intensity wildfires: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0105/20060105_us.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0111/20060111_us.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0113/20060113_us.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/02/0202/20060202_us.htm

In the international arena the US Forest Service continued to support the preparation of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (Sevilla, Spain, May 2007 – see update below) and the follow- up of the FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests (March 2005 – see note on FAO’s activities below).

Under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) and the Russian Federal Forest Agency, a Forest Fire Subcomponent (“Canadian/Russian Forest Fire Initiative in Russia“) was developed in 2005. The work plan 2006-2007 includes the evaluation of the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS) for use in Russia and the reconstruction of post-1980 fire activity in Russia from archives of satellite imageries for climate change projections of future Russian fire regimes.

FAO Regional wildland fire report: Regional Fire Report North America (FAO WP FM15E) - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM15E%20North%20America.pdf

Latin America and the Caribbean: moving fast towards inter-regional cooperation in wildland fire management In 2004 the FAO Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (LACFC) (Comisión Forestal para América Latina y el Caribe – COFLAC) initiated the development of a set of “Regional and Subregional Cooperation Strategies for the Prevention, Control and Combat of Wildland Fires”. The term “subregion” within the jurisdiction of COFLAC is equivalent to a “region” of the Global Wildland Fire Network.

The process of formulation of a Regional Cooperation Strategy of Fire Management for Latin America and the Caribbean and subregional strategies for Central America, Caribbean and South America, started in San José, Costa Rica, in October 2004, where meetings of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks were carried out and a Pan American Conference on Wildland Fires was organized in the framework of COFLAC, the North America Forest Commission (NAFC) in close cooperation with the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). The Conference highlighted the need to develop a coordinated Pan-American and international approach in fire management, to allow a sustainable strategic based regional cooperation.

At the 24th COFLAC meeting in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 26 - 30 June 2006, the strategies will be presented for adoption by the commission:

More details from the Regional Wildland Fire Networks within the Latin America and Caribbean region:

Caribbean Following the initial discussions at the foundation meeting of the Regional South America Wildland Fire Network and the Pan-American Wildland Fire Conference in 2004, a FAO TCP/RLA/3010

6 Carribean Subregional Technical Workshop (Taller Técnico Subregional del Caribe) was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 31 May-2 June 2005. Besides a draft proposal for a Fire Management Cooperation Strategy for the Caribbean 2006-2011 (Estrategia de Cooperación del Caribe para el Manejo del Fuego) the national fire focal points agreed to establish the network and to request Cuba to take the lead and coordination function. Together with the Central America and the South America Strategies a Regional Strategy on International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in Latin America and the Caribbean was finalized in a regional meeting in Santiago de Chile, 3-4 November 2005 and will be discussed and adopted by the 24th Session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 26-30 June 2006).

The network organized a regional meeting in the frame of the Fourth International Symposium on Sustainable Management of Forest Resources (SIMFOR 2006) / First International Workshop on Fire Management, in Pinar del Río, Cuba, 19-22 April 2006. Sponsorship was provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO), the International Center of Forest Research (CIFOR), the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and the Forest Guard Corps (Cuerpo de Guardabosques – CGB).

Cuba, host of the regional network coordination, is a country facing high wildfire risk. According to a CGB report of January 2006 the country experienced 378 wildfires in 2005, affecting 11,726 ha of forests and wildlands and causing 14 million Pesos ($US 15 million) of damage: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/01/news_20060116_cu.htm

Following the extreme dry November and December 2005 (the driest months since 1901) and some weeks after the conference, the region Pinar del Río was affected by extremely fierce fires that burned large tracts of pine forests: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/05/0517/20060517_cu.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/05/0518/20060518_cu.htm

A website of the Regional Caribbean Wildland Fire Network is currently set up at: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Caribbean/Caribbean.html

FAO Regional wildland fire report: Joint Regional Fire Report Caribbean & Mesoamerica (FAO WP FM12E) - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM12E%20Caribbean&Mesoamerica.pdf

Central America The most tragic events of the reporting period occurred in Honduras on 30 January 2006. Eleven children, from seven to 17 years of age, perished accidentally in a sugar cane fire which had been set for cane harvest: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/02/news_20060205_hon.htm

Firefighter fatalities were reported from México: By middle of May 2006 a total area of more than 115,000 ha of vegetated land – thereof 21,000 ha mature forests – had been burned by 6,600 wildfires in which seven firemen lost their lives: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/05/news_20060518_mex.htm

Regional cooperation in wildland fire management is coordinated with the Comisión Centroamericana de Ambiente y Desarollo (CCAD). At the FAO TCP/RLA/3010 Mesoamerica Subregional Technical Workshop (Taller Técnico Subregional de Mesoamérica, 24-26 May 2005, Panama) national fire focal points developed the first draft of the Central American Strategy on Fire Management 2005-2015 (Estrategia Centroamericana para el Manejo del Fuego). During the Technical Commitee on Forestry (Comité Técnico de Bosques, CTB) Meeting (21-22 July 2005, Nicaragua) regional forestry directors accepted draft number 4 of the Strategy and requested the focal points to prepare an Action Plan until the next CTB Meeting held on 1-2 September 2005 in Costa Rica. Assistance in developing this Action Plan was provided by the Central American Forest Strategy (Estrategia Forestal Centroamericana, EFCA). The final version of the Strategy has been published by CCAD in March 2006. In the frame of this strategy it was decided to establish the Fire Management Working Group of Central America (Grupo de Trabajo Centroamericano para el Manejo del Fuego) (replacing the Technical Commission on Forest Fires and Pests), which has to be consolidated under the CTB of the CCAD. The Working

7 Group will be integrated by the coordinators of the national fire management programmes of each country (acting as focal points) that need to have the official institutional support of their respective governments. The Working Group will be chaired by the focal point, whose country is holding the temporary presidency of the CCAD and co-chaired by the focal point whose country will hold the temporary presidency in the following period.

The final version of the regional strategy can be downloaded at: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/MesoAmerica/CCAD-FINAL-Estrategia- Manejo-Fuego.pdf - http://www.ccad.ws/tecnicos/ccab_incendios.html

On 12-13 June 2006 a Meeting of the Fire Management Working Group of Central America took place at CCAD in El Salvador. It was agreed to strengthen the webpage of the Working Group (http://www.ccad.ws/tecnicos/ccab_incendios.html), consolidate the Regional Central American Wildland Fire Network, carry out meetings with key persons to promote the application of the Central American Strategy on Fire Management in each country, as well as reprint the Strategy and include the logos of FAO, AID and DOI: - http://www.ccad.ws/documentos/comitestecnicos/actas/incendios10.pdf

FAO Regional wildland fire report: Joint Regional Fire Report Caribbean & Mesoamerica (FAO WP FM12E) - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM12E%20Caribbean&Mesoamerica.pdf

South America At the FAO TCP/RLA/3010 South America Subregional Technical Workshop (Taller Técnico Subregional de Sudamérica, 21-23 June 2005, Curitiba, Brazil) national fire focal points developed the first draft of the South American Strategy on Fire Management 2006-2010 (Estrategia de Cooperación de América del Sur para el Manejo del Fuego). Together with the Central America and Caribbean Strategies a Regional Strategy on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in Latin America and the Caribbean was finalized in a regional meeting in Santiago de Chile, 3-4 November 2005 and will be discussed and adopted by the 24th Session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 26-30 June 2006).

Before the meeting the COFLAC secretariat and the University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil, demonstrated that networking has already been initiated. A distant learning course on “Formulation of National Fire Management Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean” (Formulación de Políticas Nacionales para el Manejo del Fuego en América Latina y el Caribe) will be held between 1 September and 1 December 2006. For details see: http://www.rlc.fao.org/proyecto/fodepal/

FAO Regional wildland fire report: Regional Fire Report South America (FAO WP FM05E) - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM05E%20South%20America.pdf

South Asia The Northern Hemispheric winter was particularly dry in the mountain region of the Himalayas and many winter fires were burning in desiccated vegetation. In Bhutan the first forest fire of the year 2006 was one of the largest that Thimphu dzongkhag (district) had seen, destroyed more than 80 ha of coniferous forest, according to the forestry officials: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0105/20060105_bhu.htm

North Sikkim, the largest district in the state of Sikkim, India, faced severe fires during the prolonged dry winter spell. A fire at Lachung raged at an altitude of 2,500 m: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0110/20060110_sik.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0130/20060130_sik.htm

In nearby Nepal fires were burning fiercly, similar to the neighbour countries, e.g.:

8 - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0110/20060110_nep.htm

On the Tibet side of the Himalayas the Mount Everest region was severely affected by fires as can be seen on the GFMC daily report of 9 January 2006: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/01/0106/20060106_tib.htm

In Pakistan a fire engulfed a forest surrounding a Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission installation near Dera Ghazi Khan town in May 2006. The fire, which was burning during extremely hot daytime temperatures exceeding 40°C, was brought under control after 20 hours. It raised concern over safety at the uranium extraction plant in Dera Ghazi Khan district, some 350 km southwest of Islamabad: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/05/news_20060518_pak.htm - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/05/news_20060521_pak.htm

The formation of a Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network has not yet moved ahead but may do so in late 2006.

FAO Regional wildland fire report: Regional Fire Report South Asia (FAO WP FM14E) - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/FAO-Final-12-Regional-Reports-FRA- 2005/WP%20FM14E%20South%20Asia.pdf

News from Wildland Fire Research The new European fire research programme FIRE PARADOX – announced in the last GWFN Bulletin – has started on 1 March 2006. It will be implemented between 2006 and 2010. A new public website has been set up: - www.fireparadox.org

International: Development of the Fire Management Code and an International Strategy in Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management Following requests from the FAO's Ministerial Meeting on Forests and the 17th meeting of the FAO Committee on Forestry (Rome, March 2005), to develop a strategy to enhance international cooperation on wildland fire, as well as voluntary guidelines on the prevention, suppression and recovery from forest fire, the "Fire Management Code: A Framework of Guiding Principles and Strategic Actions for Implementation" has been drafted as a voluntary and legally non-binding instrument tailored primarily to land-use policy makers, planners and managers in fire management, including target users such as governments, private sector and NGOs. The scope of the Code includes the positive and negative social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts of natural and planned fires in forests, woodlands, rangelands, grasslands, agricultural and rural-urban landscapes. The draft Code will be posted on a website of FAO by mid-July 2006 for comments and suggestions by the international stakeholder community. A special Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin will be distributed and published in July 2006 with information for access and delivery of comments through a special FAO website.

The “Framework Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management” (under which the Fire Management Code will serve as a code of conduct) and an assessment of the capabilities of international organizations in developing standard methodologies and tools for international cooperation in wildland fire management are currently being drafted by FAO and the GFMC. More information in late 2006.

Upcoming soon: 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (13-17 May 2007, Sevilla, Spain) Please note a small but significant correction to the bookmark in your calendar: The 4th International Wildland Fire Conference is now scheduled for 13-17 May 2007 in Sevilla, Spain (instead of 6-10 May 2007 in Madrid). The Conference, to be hosted by the Regional Government of Andalusia and the Ministry for Environment of Spain, will be held under the auspices of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The conference objectives include: • Provide a forum for forest fire management leaders, politicians, professionals, researchers, and practitioners from throughout the globe to discuss and work on critical fire issues affecting people,

9 communities, resources and ecosystems in all Regions and work on a cooperative way in the consolidation of a global strategy on cooperation in wildland fire management. • Strengthen the effectiveness of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and support their links into a Global Wildland Fire Network • Provide a forum to display innovations, new technologies, products and methods for wildland fire management and interact with the conference participants.

Conference Website: - http://www.wildfire07.es/

Update on UNECE/FAO International Forest Fire News (IFFN) Recently the Timber Section, UN-ECE Trade Division, Geneva, has printed and distributed the corrected version of IFFN No. 30 – a special issue on “Prescribed Burning in Northwest Europe and the Baltic Region”: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/iffn/iffn_30/content30.htm

Since April 2006 IFFN No. 32 is on the web – a special issue covering the Russian Federation: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/iffn/iffn_32/content32.htm

The next issue No. 33 will provide a focus on the Mediterranean region. Please check the IFFN website by August 2006: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/iffn/iffn_online.htm.

Inside the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network Activities of the Regional Wildland Fire Network are regularly updated at: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/globalNet.html

Inside GFMC General GFMC activities are regularly updated in the GFMC calendar at: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/about4.html

Earlier Bulletins Archive in the GFMC repository at: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/news.htm

Editorial The GFMC is apologizing the delay in circulating this Bulletin.

10

IFFN / GFMC Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin # 2 / 2006 (July 2006)

Dear members of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks:

Today this 4th issue of the International Forest Fire News (IFFN) / Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin is being distributed before the 3rd issue (#1/2006 – June 2006) will be finalized and ready for distribution. 1

Reason for sending out this bulletin is the availability of the Draft Fire Management Code for comments by stakeholders. All recipients of this message are encouraged to distribute the following information within your networks, websites and mailing lists.

Introduction: The Fire Management Code

Following requests from the FAO's Ministerial Meeting on Forests and the 17th meeting of the FAO Committee on Forestry (Rome, March 2005), the "Fire Management Code: A Framework of Guiding Principles and Strategic Actions for Implementation" has been drafted as a voluntary and legally non- binding instrument tailored primarily to land-use policy makers, planners and managers in fire management, including target users such as governments, private sector and NGOs. The scope of the Code includes the positive and negative social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts of natural and planned fires in forests, woodlands, rangelands, grasslands, agricultural and rural-urban landscapes. A short summary of the document's objectives and process is provided at the bottom of this message.

Full details are at http://www.fao.org/forestry/firemanagementcode - as a searchable web version and a downloadable PDF file (44 pages, 279 KB).

Following dialogue with the expert consultative group, the updated draft of the Code is now available on the FAO website for review and comments by the interested stakeholders. FAO has already distributed letters to Governments inviting feedback by 31 October 2006 to strengthen the Code. However, as there is a wide range of stakeholders involved directly or indirectly beyond Government authorities, your kind assistance is requested to relay this information through your regional and national networks, list servers and possibly through your own websites if appropriate. Comments and suggestions should be sent by email to

[email protected]

About the Fire Management Code (www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/en)

Every year, fires burn millions of hectares of vegetation worldwide. Many of these fires threaten lives and property, degrade human health, destroy crops and valuable resources, and produce emissions that affect the global atmosphere and climate, notably the global carbon cycle. At the same time, fire is an important tool for people throughout the globe that provides benefits for agricultural and forestry and It is clear that there are “good” fires and “bad” fires. The key to minimizing the detrimental effects of fire is a well managed, environmentally sustainable, and culturally acceptable fire management programme.

1 Bulletin # 1/2006 will review the global wildland fire situation between October 2005 and May 2006 and will be available within a few days.

International Forest Fire News (IFFN) is an activity of the FAO/UNECE Team of Specialists on Forest Fire and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). IFFN is published on behalf of UNECE Timber Committee and the FAO European Forestry Commission and is serving the UN-ISDR Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN). Starting in June 2005 the IFFN/ GFMC Bulletin will provide short news and global fire update information to members of Regional Wildland Fire Networks. GFMC Website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de

In response to member country requests2 FAO, with collaborating partners3 are committed to a multi- stakeholder process to prepare a Fire Management Code to detail the framework of priority principles to provide the policy, legal, regulatory and other enabling conditions and strategic actions for more holistic approaches to fire management.

The Fire Management Code is a voluntary and legally non-binding instrument tailored primarily to land-use policy makers, planners and managers in fire management including target users as the State, private sector and Non-Governmental Organizations. The scope of the Code includes the positive and negative social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts of natural and planned fires in forests, woodlands, rangelands, grasslands, agricultural and rural-urban landscapes.

Technically the fire management coverage includes early warning, prevention, preparedness (international, national, sub-national and community), safe and effective initial attack on incidences of fire and landscape restoration following fire. The Code provides an international framework, outlines cross-sectoral issues, elaborates on principles and attributes to balance social, cultural, environmental and economic dimensions of fire management and prescribes implementation guidelines.

The Code provides the framework towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals: particularly Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability; and Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development.

The Code was prepared through a wide multi-stakeholder process and supported by FAO’s Regional Forestry Commissions. It will be presented to COFO, March, 2007 for consideration and appropriate action in regard to implementation, particularly capacity building to translate the Code into policies and practices and in formalizing responsibilities and procedures for monitoring and reporting. In May 2007 the Code will be presented at the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference. The attendees, a broad array of stakeholders, will strengthen partnerships and propose implementation strategies.

Process (www.fao.org/forestry/site/35489/en)

Following requests from the Ministerial Meeting and 17th Committee on Forestry, FAO, Rome, Italy, March 2005 a technical group (FAO, USDA Forest Service, and the Global Fire Monitoring Center) met in FAO, Rome, December, 2005 to confirm the nature, scope and process for the Code and to elaborate on inputs for the a first draft. The first draft Code was prepared by the end of December, 2005 and shared through the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and other of fire specialists. A core group meeting of fire management specialists was held to consider the first draft of the Code, FAO, Rome, March 2006.

A second draft Code was prepared in April 2006 following the core group meeting as a reference document for an expert consultation on fire management. A multi-stakeholder expert consultation including Government, private sector, IGO, NGO, research and other stakeholders, was held in May 2006 to coincide with the planning meeting for the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference, Seville, Spain, 2007 to review the second draft of the Code.

The Code was introduced to the 6 Regional Forestry Commissions during the period March - October 2006, seeking guidance on the process, capacity building and implementation and encouraged countries and the fire management fraternity to provide feedback.

Following dialogue with the expert consultative group members this stable draft of the Code was uploaded to the web by 14 July for feedback. Invitations were distributed to Governments and through fire networks to provide feedback by 31 October to strengthen the Code. We encourage and welcome your comments and suggestions to [email protected].

2 3rd International Wildland Fire Summit, Sydney, Australia, October 2003; Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Forest Management, March 2005, and Committee on Forestry, March 2005 (Para 53). 3 Collaborating partners providing inputs on an “in kind” basis, with FAO undertaking the overall coordination, technical inputs, include members of the International Liaison Committee, 4th International Wildland Fire Conference, Seville, Spain, 2007; USDA Forest Service; Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC); UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network; The Nature Conservancy; and other experts from the private sector, IGOs and NGOs.

2

It is proposed that:

• The technical group with inputs from a wide range of stakeholders and the expert consultative group will prepare the final draft of the Code by December, 2006. • The final draft Code will be made available to the Committee on Forestry, March 2007 for their consideration and recommendations for its application and the provision of capacity building to member countries. • The final draft Code will be presented to the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference, Seville, Spain, May 2007 to discuss potential partnerships for implementation and capacity building. • The final Code will be published and disseminated in hard copy and CD formats and posted on the FAO Forestry website and alerts made through the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks and fire organizations. • FAO, in collaboration with partners will conduct regional and national training workshops to introduce the Code and strengthen capacity for implementation – translating principles into policy, legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks and into key action for implementation into practice.

Note:

Earlier Global Wildland Fire Bulletins are archived in the GFMC repository at: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/news.htm

GFMC Freiburg – FAO Rome, 14 July 2006

Johann G. Goldammer

3

IFFN / GFMC Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin # 5 (3/2006 – 29 August 2006)

Dear members of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks:

This 5th issue of the Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin again is providing information on the development of the Fire Management Code. We want to inform the recipients of the Bulletin, as well as other parties and individuals interested in the multi-stakeholder dialogue in developing the Code, that the Draft version of the Code is now available in four languages as a searchable web version and a downloadable PDF file (English, French, Russian and Spanish). Please note that the Spanish version will be available latest by Wednesday 30 August 2006.

English: http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/en

French: http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/fr

Russian: http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/ru

Spanish http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/sp

Introduction: The Fire Management Code

Following requests from the FAO's Ministerial Meeting on Forests and the 17th meeting of the FAO Committee on Forestry (Rome, March 2005), the "Fire Management Code: A Framework of Guiding Principles and Strategic Actions for Implementation" has been drafted as a voluntary and legally non- binding instrument tailored primarily to land-use policy makers, planners and managers in fire management, including target users such as governments, private sector and NGOs. The scope of the Code includes the positive and negative social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts of natural and planned fires in forests, woodlands, rangelands, grasslands, agricultural and rural-urban landscapes. A short summary of the document's objectives and process is provided at the bottom of this message.

Following dialogue with the expert consultative group, the updated draft of the Code is now available on the FAO website for review and comments by the interested stakeholders. FAO has already distributed letters to Governments inviting feedback by 31 October 2006 to strengthen the Code. However, as there is a wide range of stakeholders involved directly or indirectly beyond Government authorities, your kind assistance is requested to relay this information through your regional and national networks, list servers and possibly through your own websites if appropriate. Comments and suggestions should be sent by email to

[email protected]

About the Fire Management Code

Every year, fires burn millions of hectares of vegetation worldwide. Many of these fires threaten lives and property, degrade human health, destroy crops and valuable resources, and produce emissions that affect the global atmosphere and climate, notably the global carbon cycle. At the same time, fire is an important tool for people throughout the globe that provides benefits for agricultural and forestry and It is clear that there are “good” fires and “bad” fires. The key to minimizing the detrimental effects of fire is a well managed, environmentally sustainable, and culturally acceptable fire management programme.

International Forest Fire News (IFFN) is an activity of the FAO/UNECE Team of Specialists on Forest Fire and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). IFFN is published on behalf of UNECE Timber Committee and the FAO European Forestry Commission and is serving the UN-ISDR Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN). Starting in June 2005 the IFFN/ GFMC Bulletin will provide short news and global fire update information to members of Regional Wildland Fire Networks. GFMC Website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de

In response to member country requests1 FAO, with collaborating partners2 are committed to a multi- stakeholder process to prepare a Fire Management Code to detail the framework of priority principles to provide the policy, legal, regulatory and other enabling conditions and strategic actions for more holistic approaches to fire management.

The Fire Management Code is a voluntary and legally non-binding instrument tailored primarily to land-use policy makers, planners and managers in fire management including target users as the State, private sector and Non-Governmental Organizations. The scope of the Code includes the positive and negative social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts of natural and planned fires in forests, woodlands, rangelands, grasslands, agricultural and rural-urban landscapes.

Technically the fire management coverage includes early warning, prevention, preparedness (international, national, sub-national and community), safe and effective initial attack on incidences of fire and landscape restoration following fire. The Code provides an international framework, outlines cross-sectoral issues, elaborates on principles and attributes to balance social, cultural, environmental and economic dimensions of fire management and prescribes implementation guidelines.

The Code provides the framework towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals: particularly Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability; and Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development.

The Code was prepared through a wide multi-stakeholder process and supported by FAO’s Regional Forestry Commissions. It will be presented to COFO, March, 2007 for consideration and appropriate action in regard to implementation, particularly capacity building to translate the Code into policies and practices and in formalizing responsibilities and procedures for monitoring and reporting. In May 2007 the Code will be presented at the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference. The attendees, a broad array of stakeholders, will strengthen partnerships and propose implementation strategies.

Process (www.fao.org/forestry/site/35489/en)

Following requests from the Ministerial Meeting and 17th Committee on Forestry, FAO, Rome, Italy, March 2005 a technical group (FAO, USDA Forest Service, and the Global Fire Monitoring Center) met in FAO, Rome, December, 2005 to confirm the nature, scope and process for the Code and to elaborate on inputs for the a first draft. The first draft Code was prepared by the end of December, 2005 and shared through the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and other of fire specialists. A core group meeting of fire management specialists was held to consider the first draft of the Code, FAO, Rome, March 2006.

A second draft Code was prepared in April 2006 following the core group meeting as a reference document for an expert consultation on fire management. A multi-stakeholder expert consultation including Government, private sector, IGO, NGO, research and other stakeholders, was held in May 2006 to coincide with the planning meeting for the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference, Seville, Spain, 2007 to review the second draft of the Code.

The Code was introduced to the 6 Regional Forestry Commissions during the period March - October 2006, seeking guidance on the process, capacity building and implementation and encouraged countries and the fire management fraternity to provide feedback.

Following dialogue with the expert consultative group members this stable draft of the Code was uploaded to the web by 14 July for feedback. Invitations were distributed to Governments and through fire networks to provide feedback by 31 October to strengthen the Code. We encourage and welcome your comments and suggestions to [email protected].

1 3rd International Wildland Fire Summit, Sydney, Australia, October 2003; Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Forest Management, March 2005, and Committee on Forestry, March 2005 (Para 53). 2 Collaborating partners providing inputs on an “in kind” basis, with FAO undertaking the overall coordination, technical inputs, include members of the International Liaison Committee, 4th International Wildland Fire Conference, Seville, Spain, 2007; USDA Forest Service; Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC); UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network; The Nature Conservancy; and other experts from the private sector, IGOs and NGOs.

2

It is proposed that:

• The technical group with inputs from a wide range of stakeholders and the expert consultative group will prepare the final draft of the Code by December, 2006. • The final draft Code will be made available to the Committee on Forestry, March 2007 for their consideration and recommendations for its application and the provision of capacity building to member countries. • The final draft Code will be presented to the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference, Seville, Spain, May 2007 to discuss potential partnerships for implementation and capacity building. • The final Code will be published and disseminated in hard copy and CD formats and posted on the FAO Forestry website and alerts made through the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks and fire organizations. • FAO, in collaboration with partners will conduct regional and national training workshops to introduce the Code and strengthen capacity for implementation – translating principles into policy, legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks and into key action for implementation into practice.

Note:

Earlier Global Wildland Fire Bulletins are archived in the GFMC repository at: - http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/news.htm

GFMC Freiburg – FAO Rome, 14 July 2006

Johann G. Goldammer

3

IFFN / GFMC Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin Issue No. 6 (# 4 / 2006 – 25 October 2006)

Dear members of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks:

This 6th issue of the Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin is just to remind you of two important dates that have been highlighted in the last Bulletins:

The 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (13-17 May 2007, Sevilla, Spain): Call for Participation and Contributions:

Please note that the conference websites are continuously updated by the hosts and organizers of the conference. Please visit this conference website:

http://www.wildfire07.es/ on which you can choose the Spanish and the English version. The UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks are listed as key contributors and will have parallel afternoon sessions on 14 and 15 May 2006. Please see the conference programme and the networks listed on these pages:

http://www.wildfire07.es/html/in/programa-2_in.html http://www.wildfire07.es/html/in/entidades-4_in.html

On 27-28 November 2006 a meeting of the International Liaison Committee (ILC) of the conference will be held in Portugal. Letters of invitation will be sent to the coordinators of Regional Wildland Fire Networks right after the meeting.

Deadline for comments of the draft Fire Management Code

The draft of the Code is still available for review on the FAO website:

English: http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/en French: http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/fr Russian: http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/ru Spanish http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/sp

As indicated in the last two Bulletins, FAO had distributed letters to Governments inviting feedback by 31 October 2006 to strengthen the Code. However, as there is a wide range of stakeholders involved directly or indirectly beyond Government authorities, you are kindly invited to provide comments and suggestions by 31 October. Please us this e-mail address for your comments: [email protected]

GFMC Freiburg, Germany – 25 October 2006

Johann G. Goldammer

International Forest Fire News (IFFN) is an activity of the FAO/UNECE Team of Specialists on Forest Fire and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). IFFN is published on behalf of UNECE Timber Committee and the FAO European Forestry Commission and is serving the UN-ISDR Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN). Starting in June 2005 the IFFN/ GFMC Bulletin will provide short news and global fire update information to members of Regional Wildland Fire Networks. GFMC Website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de

IFFN-GFMC UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin – Issue No. 8 (# 1/2007 – June 2007)

Dear members of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks, Dear contributors to the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference,

for the distribution of this Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin the GFMC has merged the network mailing list with the mail addresses of the contributors to the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference. Only a few of the conference contributors had not been on our original distribution list.

We would like to inform you about the follow-up of the conference. Those who attended the conference in Sevilla witnessed the great spirit of international communication and cooperation in a conference, which brought together more than 1500 wildland fire specialists from 88 countries. Besides the plenary and thematic sessions, six joint regional sessions provided an opportunity of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks to meet with colleagues from their home region, their neighbours or sister regions, to jointly assess the fire situation and to provide conclusions and recommendations to the international community.

Following the recommendations of the International Wildland Fire Summit (Sydney, Australia, October 2003) the years 2003 to early 2007 were utilized to strengthen the Regional Wildland Fire Networks, and to challenge the Global Wildland Fire Network to implement the recommendations of the Summit.

In accordance with the regional recommendations as well as the Conference Statement, the post- Sevilla process will see a number of activities within the regions and internationally.

Following an agreement between the Spanish Conference Liaison Committee and the GFMC there will be two websites in which you can monitor the pre- and post conference documentation.

The conference website ⇒ http://www.wildfire07.es/ will be online until the end of 2007 (date of expiry: 31 December 2007). In addition to the original (pre- conference) information and the conference contributions submitted before the meeting, the website will include the documentation and presentations that were finalized at or after the conference.

These are identical and coordinated with the post-conference website on the GFMC information system: ⇒ http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/sevilla-2007.html

This website will be available unlimited, similarly to the GFMC website on the International Wildland Fire Summit (which includes the follow-up process): ⇒ http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/summit-2003/introduction.htm and the Global Wildland Fire Network website (which provides near-real time information on recent developments in the regions: ⇒ http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/globalNet.html

International Forest Fire News (IFFN) is an activity of the FAO/UNECE Team of Specialists on Forest Fire and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). IFFN is published on behalf of UNECE Timber Committee and the FAO European Forestry Commission and is serving the UN-ISDR Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN). Starting in June 2005 the IFFN/ GFMC Bulletin will provide short news and global fire update information to members of Regional Wildland Fire Networks. GFMC Website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de

In the coming months and years the GFMC will monitor the follow-up of the conference and update this website, especially concerning the follow-up consultations and the preparation of the 5th International Wildland Fire Conference. In this context, please also monitor the websites of the FAO Fire Management Strategy, including link to the Fire Management Actions Alliance:

⇒ http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35833/en/

Special Note for the authors / contributors of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference: The bibliographic information with the Number of Identification for Official Publications (NIPO) and ISBN of the printed abstract volume as well as the Conference CD are now available on the websites, e.g. here: ⇒ http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/sevilla-2007/contributions/index.htm

With kind regards

Johann G. Goldammer

Coordinator of the Global Wildland Fire Network and Editor, UN-ECE/FAO International Forest Fire News (IFFN) @ Global Fir Monitoring Center (GFMC)

Web address of the repository of the Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin: ⇒ http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/bulletin_news.htm

Venue of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference Conference and Exhibition Centre, Sevillla, Spain

2

IFFN-GFMC UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin – Issue No. 9 (# 2/2007 – December 2007)

Dear members of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and associated experts, after the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference in Sevilla, Spain, in May 2007, a rather extreme northern hemispheric fire season was faced by Southeast European countries and North America. In the South extremely fierce fires destroyed huge forest plantation areas in Southern Africa. Land-use change burning activities and wildfires in South America and Southeast Asia, notably conversion burning of peatlands for biofuel plantation establishment, continued to release large amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. A heavy fire season!

This second Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin of 2007, which we are distributing after the New Year’s break, aims at summarizing the 2007 activities of our partners around the globe. In the second part significant fire events of 2006 and 2007 are summarized – with links to more detailed information (GFMC apologizes for the delay in summarizing the 2006 significant events).

GFMC, Freiburg, January 2008 Johann G Goldammer

1. Activities of the Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN) and Partners in 2007

13-16 February 2007 GWFN contributed to the Country-Led Initiative in Support of the United Nations Forum on Forests “Multi Year Programme of Work of United Nations Forum on Forests: Charting the Way Forward to 2015”; Bali, Indonesia. • http://www.un.org/esa/forests/

27 February 2007 Joint meeting of GFMC, GOFC-GOLD, GEO Secretariat and WMO concerning the development of the “Global Early Warning System for Wildland Fire”; WMO, Geneva, Switzerland. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/fwf/EWS.htm

12-15 March 2007 18thSession of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO): Discussion of the non-legally binding Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management, including the (a) Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines; (b) Implementation Partnership; (c) Global Assessment of Fire Management; and (d) Review of International Cooperation in Fire Management; FAO, Rome, Italy. • www.fao.org/forestry/site/35915/en • http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/en/ • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/un/fao/fao.htm

26-27 March 2007 International Early Warning Programme (IEWP) Advisory Group Meeting, hosted by the UN/ISDR Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning, topics among other: Development of the Global Wildland Fire Early Warning System; Bonn, Germany. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/fwf/EWS.htm • http://www.unisdr.org/ppew/

International Forest Fire News (IFFN) is an activity of the FAO/UNECE Team of Specialists on Forest Fire and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). IFFN is published on behalf of UNECE Timber Committee and the FAO European Forestry Commission and is serving the UN-ISDR Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN). Since June 2005 the IFFN/ GFMC Bulletin is

providing short news and global fire update information to members of Regional Wildland Fire Networks and partners. GFMC Website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de Website of archive of the Bulletin: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/bulletin_news.htm

12-18 May 2007 GWFN contributing to the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference, including meeting of the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks; Sevilla, Spain. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/sevilla-2007.html

5-7 June 2007 GWFN contributing to the First meeting of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction under the auspices of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR); UN, Geneva, Switzerland. • http://www.preventionweb.net/globalplatform/ • UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network Side Event (draft agenda)

2-4 December 2007 GWFN contributing to the Fire Management Actions Alliance Advisory Group meeting; FAO, Rome, Italy. • http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/35488/en/

4-5 December 2007 GWFN contributing to the UN OCHA Rosersberg Initiative Working Group Meeting, concerning improvement of competence, governance and efficiency of international cooperation in wildland fire disasters; La Marsa, Les Côtes de Carthage, Tunisia. • http://ochaonline.un.org/ToolsServices/EmergencyRelief/EnvironmentalEmergencies/Rosersberg Initiative/tabid/2647/Default.aspx

3-14 December 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Bali, Indonesia. Breakthrough on Climate Change Reached in Bali. All 187 countries that met in Bali at the COP (Conference of Parties) 13 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed to launch negotiations towards a crucial and strengthened international climate change deal. This decision includes a clear agenda for the key issues to be negotiated up to 2009 including action for adapting to the negative consequences of climate change, ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ways to widely deploy climate-friendly technologies and financing both adaptation and mitigation measures. For forestry and fire-related issues see: - http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php and in particular ”Reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries: approaches to stimulate action”: - http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/cop_13/application/pdf/cp_redd.pdf

2. South Asia

19-23 February 2007 Symposium “Fire Ecology and Management in Indian Forests” and consultation on the foundation of the UNISDR Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network; Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. • http://www.atree.org/wild_firews-07.html

2-3 April 2007 Foundation meeting of the UNISDR Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network; Kathmandu, Nepal. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/South_Asia/south_asia_WFN_1.html

2-14 October 2007 Training Course on Community Based Fire Management (CBFiM) for Community Forest Users Group in the frame of the UNISDR Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network, supported by the German Foreign Office, Task Force for Humanitarian Assistance; Chaukitole, Hetauda, Makawanpur, Nepal. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/South_Asia/Front_RSAWFN.html

11-19 December 2007 National Round Table on Fire Management, Nepal; Kathmandu, Nepal. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/South_Asia/Front_RSAWFN.html

2 3. Southeast Europe

18-21 March 2007 Regional Wildland Fire Consultation on the Development of a Strategy on International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Regional South East European / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network, coordinated by GFMC and the UNISDR Regional South East European / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network, hosted by Bulgaria; Sofia, Bulgaria. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/SEEurope.html

25-28 July 2007 International Meeting on “Reduction of Disaster Risk from Catastrophic Wildfires in the Chernobyl Irradiated Forests” under the auspices of the National Agricultural University of Ukraine, Yale University, GFMC / UNISDR; Kiev, Ukraine. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/Chornobyl-Wildfire-Conference- Programme.pdf • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/Chornobyl-Wildfire-Conference- Report.pdf • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/about4_2007.html#July

29 July - 1 August 2007 Deployment of GFMC staff to assess the wildfire situation in Kosovo and to coordinate fire response, on request by the UN and on behalf of the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit; Prishtina, Kosovo.

• http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/07/0728/20070728_ba.htm • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/07/0730/20070730_ba.htm • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/07/0731/20070731_ba.htm • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/08/0802/20070802_ba.htm

19-26 August 2007 Fire assessment mission to Serbia in the frame of the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network; Beograde, Vojvodina, Tara-Mitrovac, Vodena poljana, Kopaoniku, Vlasina, Serbia. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/SEEurope.html

28 August - 2 September 2007 Fire assessment mission to Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on request by the UN and on behalf of the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, in conjunction with the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network; Skopje, Macedonia. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/SEEurope.html

20-23 October 2007 Training course “Use of Fire Suppression Hand Tools” at the Croatian Fire Service within the framework of the FAO TCP "National Strategy for Forest Fire Protection" (3-XII-CRO-201) (A. Held); Split, Croatia.

4. Baltic Region

19-20 April 2007 Steering Committee meeting of the EuroFire project (European Wildland Fire Management Handbook, EU Leonardo da Vinci programme), a joint effort of GFMC and the Commission on Forest Fires, International Technical Committee for the Prevention and Extinction of Fire (CTIF), facilitated by Rural Development Initiatives; London, UK. • www.leonardo.ecotec.co.uk/ • http://www.ctif.org/ • http://www.ctif.org/index.php?page_id=2024

24 June - 1 July 2007 The 10th European Heathland Workshop with field excursion from Central to Northern Norway; Trondheim, Bodø, Norway • http://www.heathlands2007.uib.no/index.htm

3

5. Near East

15-17 July 2007 Expert Consultation on Wildfire Early Warning and Detection Systems; Lattakia, Syria. (link to the report follow)

6. Southeast Asia

1-14 August 2007 GFMC mission to the termination workshop “Lokakarya berbagi pengalaman, pengetahuan dan keterampilan dalam pengelolaan kebakaran hutan dan lah an” of the EU-GTZ-supported „South Sumatra Forest Fire Management Project” (Kerjasama teknis komisi Eropa – Pemerintah Indonesia); Palembang, Sumatera Selatan, Indonesia. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/about4_2007.html#August

7. Central Asia

13-20 September 2007 Mongolia field mission to prepare prescribed burning research plots in the frame of the Eurasian Fire in Nature Conservation Network (EFNCN) and Fire Paradox, and the development of a Mongolian- Russian-English Wildland Fire Terminology and a fire research programme and fire management training curricula at the Mongolian Agriculture University, Forestry Department, and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the GTZ-Programme "Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources"; Ulaanbaatar, Suchbaatar, Tunkel, Mongolia. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/CentralAsia/CentralAsia.html

8. Central America

28 October - 3 November 2007 Foro Centroamericano sobre Manejo del Fuego: Incendios forestales una realidad en Centroamerica. GTZ Trifinio trilateral fire management project El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras; San Salvador, El Salvador. • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/Foro-Incendios-Salvador-2007.pdf

9. South America

6-9 November 2007 Silvotecna 2007: Symposium “Incendios Forestales: Amenazas y Desafíos en un Escenario de Calentamiento Global”; Concepción, Chile. • http://www.silvotecna.co.cl/

10. Subsahara Africa

12-16 November 2007 West Africa Regional Network Meeting on Earth Observation and Environmental Change, in conjunction with the GOFC-GOLD Workshop on Requirements for Fire Early Warning Systems in Africa; University of Ghana (Legon), Accra, Ghana. • http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/products/pdfs/Events/GG_Africa_Week%201st_Ann.pdf

4 11. Australasia and North America

January / February 2007 USA, New Zealand and Canada sent firefighters to Victoria, Australia as a bushfire (wildfire), which began through lightning on 1 December 2006 burnt for 69 days until the 7 February 2007, covering 1,190,000 hectares.

May 2007 4th International Wildland Fire Conference with the following session: - North America / Australasia Regional Session - Aviation management session - Avoiding last minute evacuations session.

Memoranda of Understanding signed between the following organizations: - United States Forests Service and Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre (Bushfire CRC) - US Forest Service and Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) - Canadian Interagency Forests Fire Center and AFAC - AFAC and Pacific Islands Fire Services Association (PIFSA)

At the Victorian Government's Inquiry into the Impact of Public Land Management Practices on Bushfires in Victoria two submissions were presented which highlight the Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines. These were from AFAC and the International Association of Wildland Fire. Both submissions encouraged the Victorian Government to formally adopt the Guidelines.

August 2007 AFAC assisting the Pacific Islands Fire Services Association's Executive in drafting a Strategic plan for the PIFSA. - In September both AFAC and PIFSA held their Annual General Meetings at the same location to foster closer interactions between the organizations

September 2007 - Over 1000 people visited Hobart, Tasmania for the AFAC / Bushfire CRC Annual Conference. - US FS Lessons Learnt Center Manager conducted a workshop for the Bushfire CRC in the development of a Fire Knowledge Network. - US FS Fire Weather Forecasting Specialists began an exchange with the Bureau of Meteorology Severe Weather Forecasters in Melbourne, Victoria. This is now expected to continue annually.

Additional information are provided in the regional websites: - http://www.fs.fed.us/global/nafc/fire/aboutus.htm (http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/NorthAmerica/NorthAmerica.html) - http://www.afac.com.au/awsv2/index.do (http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Australasia/Australasia.html)

Significant Events 2006-2007

Europe: Mediterranean, Baltic and Southeast Europe The 2006 European was a period of exceptionally hot weather that arrived at the end of June 2006 in certain European countries. The United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, the and Germany were most affected. In The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the UK, July 2006 was the warmest month since official measurements began. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/08/0810/20060810_eur.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/08/0815/20060815_eur.htm

Drought was an issue in many parts of the United Kingdom after a very dry winter and many fierce fires were burning in grass and moorlands throughout the country. These fires were difficult to extinguish and caused a lot of damage, both ecologically and economically: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/06/news_20060612_uk3.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/07/news_20060726_uk1.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/07/news_20060721_uk2.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/07/news_20060731_uk2.htm

5 http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060802_uk.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060810_uk.htm

Also northern Sweden experienced a pronounced dry period in July and saw the biggest forest fire in modern times: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060817_sv.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060815_sv.htm

Since the beginning of June 2006 extended wildfires were observed on the territory of Nagorno Karabakh, a territory that is disputed between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The fires spread rapidly and affected wildlands, fields and villages before the blazes reached the territory controlled by Azerbaijan. The fires were raging for more than 20 days and burned almost all vegetation in the region. According to first estimations the fires burnt an area of about 13,200 ha of urban, agricultural and wildlands. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/07/news_20060713_arm.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/07/0713/20060713_arm.htm

As a response an OSCE-led Environmental Assessment Mission to Fire-Affected Areas in Nagorno- Karabakh, in Fulfilment of the UNGA Resolution A/RES/60/285 “The Situation in the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan: Revised Draft Resolution / Azerbaijan” was conducted in October 2006 by GFMC: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/about4_2006.html#October http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/SEEurope/N0720860-OSCE-UNGA-ENG.pdf

Hot and dry weather conditions settling in across the Iberian Peninsula brought devastating wildfires also to Spain and Portugal in early August 2006. Several fires blazed especially through the region of Galicia in Spain. Due to the serious situation the Spanish Ministry of Interior requested the activation of the Community Mechanism for Civil Protection: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/08/0812/20060812_es.htm

The estimates of the area affected by the fires are ranging from 77,000 to 175,000 hectares: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060817_es2.htm

However, the real tragic of these fires was revealed by the fact that most fires were set by arsonists. This chain of deliberately lit fires, that are difficult to be suppressed efficiently, was called “forest terrorism” by Spain´s environmental minister Cristina Narbona and it was suspected that a fire fighting mafia was behind it to secure jobs for the fire season: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060814_es.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060812_es4.htm

Neighbouring Portugal, which had originally offered help to Spain, had to redeploy its firefighting forces to battle outbreaks within its own borders: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060812_pt.htm

In France a fast spreading fire forced the evacuation of 4,000 people in the department le Var. Three fire fighters lost their lives in accidents while fighting the fires: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060815_fr2.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060817_fr.htm

A fire swept across 500 hectares of forest in Georgia and was reported to be the largest forest fire for the past 20 years. The fire posed no threat to settlements, and it was successfully prevented from spreading to the nearby Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. Georgia requested fire-fighting airplanes from Turkey and was given assistance. Also two airplanes from Ukraine were accepted shortly after assistance from Russian fire-fighting aircraft was refused by Georgia: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/08/0818/20060818_ge.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060818_ge.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060821_ge.htm

Also in Turkey many fires occurred throughout the country and affected large areas: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060822_tr.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060824_tr2.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060823_tr.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060822_tr2.htm

6

During the war in Lebanon between Israel and the Lebanese Muslim Shiite group Hizbullah, the environment in the Middle East had to take numerous blows in addition to the human tragedy. In Israel, large forest areas in the Galilee have been burnt down due to missiles fired by Hizbullah. In the dry heat wave of the Middle East summer 2006, forests were particularly vulnerable and experts predicted that it may take the damaged forests up to 60 years to recover to the state they were in before the war: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/10/news_20061023_isr.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/11/news_20061103_isr.htm

In 2007 a heat wave again turned Europe into a tinderbox. From July this heat wave and a previous plagued especially southeastern Europe. The fire season in most Balkan countries can be considered as unusually severe. However, the fire situation in Albania, Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bulgaria was not given much attention in the media, even though in some countries a state of emergency was declared and international assistance was required. A fire expert deployed by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) on request of UNDP / OCHA-UNEP Joint Environment Unit was sent to Pristina, Kosovo. UNDP had been requested assistance by the Department for Management of Emergencies, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kosovo Provisional Self Government: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/07/0730/20070730_ba.htm

A fire assessment mission to Serbia in the frame of the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network was led by the GFMC in August 2007. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/about4_2007.html#August

Following closely, another fire assessment mission to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on request by the UN and on behalf of UNDP, UNEP and the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, in conjunction with the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network was conducted end of August to early September. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/about4_2007.html#August

The extreme fire situation in Greece was dragging more international attention than any other country in southeast Europe. Most fires in Greece were suspected to be acts of arson. Additionally they have been fanned by gale force winds with gusts around 100 km/h and heat. A rough damage assessment estimates that almost 190,000 hectares of crops, pasture land and forest have been destroyed in a few days end of August. It was also speculated that political extremists used arson as a way to disrupt the national elections on 19 September, as it was considered unlikely that so many fires sparked simultaneously in so many places is a coincidence. The most threatening blazes were centred in the southwest Peloponnese peninsula, the hardest hit area, and in two districts in southern Evia island, Aliveri and Styra, as well as southeast of Athens at the suburban Kalyvia township. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/07/0726/20070726_ba.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/07/0730/20070730_ba.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/08/0806/20070806_ba.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/08/0827/20070827_ba.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/08/0830/20070830_ba.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/08/0831/20070831_ba.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/09/0903/20070903_ba.htm

Subsahara Africa Exceptional good rains earlier this year in most of Southern Africa resulted in lush growth of vegetation, especially in Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa. Even though the fire season started late it turned out be a severe one.

In Namibia’s Caprivi strip bushfires swept through 500,000 hectares of grazing land, but there has been no human or stock losses: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/06/0602/20060602_nam.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/06/0604/20060604_nam.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/06/0606/20060606_nam.htm

Botswana was facing a very severe fire season with fires burning all over the country. These fires had magnitudes of 800,000 hectares and more and were burning for weeks threatening areas such as the Chobe National Park, the Moremi National Park and many other valuable areas. The annual migration

7 of zebra and wildebeest was seriously threatened by the fires. Researchers have suggested that due to the new fence lines that prevent free movement and access to alternative grazing, the migrating animals could have been wiped out within a week in certain areas due to these fires: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/09/0925/20060925_bot.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/09/0927/20060927_bot.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/10/news_20061014_bt.htm

In Madagascar a fire burning for one month destroyed 2,500 hectares in the National Park Ankarafantsika: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/11/news_20061103_mad.htm

In March 2007 fires that have been burning in the Pilanesberg area in South Africa for six days have razed about 25 000ha of bush: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/04/news_20070402_za2.htm

Intense fires raged in Swaziland, Mozambique and South Africa’s Mpumalanga Province since late July 2007. In KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, bushfires have killed at least 26 people and destroyed over 40,200 hectares of plantations and 15,000 hectares of grazing fields due to the very dry weather conditions in July 2007: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/07/0730/20070730_sa.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/08/news_20070802_za.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/08/news_20070808_za.htm

In Swaziland the devastating veld fires were declared a national disaster: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/08/news_20070803_swa2.htm

Latin America and the Caribbean In Colombia a devastating fire raged through the popular national park Los Nevados in July 2006. About 5,000 hectares of land were razed and nearby settlements were threatened: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/07/0710/20060710_co.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/07/news_20060712_co.htm

Large forest fires were burning in Chile’s Bío-Bío region in early January 2007. It is estimated that around 16,000 hectares of cultivated and forested land and 70 houses were destroyed: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/01/0117/20070117_cl.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/01/news_20070116_cl.htm

Again in early February 2007, several devastating fires had been burning in Colombia. More than 13,000 hectares of forest had been destroyed by fires due to unusually high temperatures throughout the country. By mid-March around 40,000 hectares of forest, llanos and páramo had been razed during a heat and drought wave that was considered to be the worst in recent years: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/02/0216/20070216_col.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/03/news_20070307_col.htm

In Costa Rica, three fires had been burning since end of March in the National Park Guanacaste, which is located in the pacific north of the country. About 2000 ha of forest had been consumed by the fires by mid-April: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/04/0404/20070404_cr.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/04/news_20070410_cr.htm

Big fires were ravaging through Central Cuba, where they devastated around 1,000 hectares of pine plantations, and forced the evacuation of 130 people. The fires spread rapidly due to strong winds and severe drought: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/04/0406/20070406_cu.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/04/news_20070405_cu.htm

8 In September 2007 the largest grass and forest fire ever registered in Paraguay was raging through the eastern region of the country and the low Chaco. The fires spread to almost a million hectares within the northeastern and western regions and it is estimated that some 25.000 families were directly affected by the fire. The economical losses are estimated to be over USD 30 million in large pastures zone, large crops and small farmers' lands: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/09/news_20070917_par.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/09/news_20070920_par.htm

Australasia Fire authorities in Australia predicted last fire season to be the worst bush fire season on record, with abnormally dry conditions and heavy fuel loads. Large areas were burnt in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales and in the Northern Territory as well as in Queensland: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/12/news_20061222_au.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/11/1124/20061124_au.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/11/1129/20061129_au.htm

Most heavily affected was the state of Victoria. Fires that began in early December 2006 by lightning strikes were raging until February 2007, devastating more than one million hectares and numerous homes: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/12/1212/20061212_au.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/12/1229/20061224_au.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/01/0112/20070112_au.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/01/0117/20070117_au.htm

Like Victoria, Tasmania experienced extreme fire conditions: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/12/1222/20061222_au.htm

Western Australia was hit by severe fires in February when the Porongurup National Park was almost entirely burnt: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/02/0214/20070214_au.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/02/0209/20070209_au.htm

North America The 2006 North American heat wave spread throughout most of the United States and Canada beginning on mid-July 2006. Parts of Canada, mostly areas of provinces located close to the U.S. border (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec) had been affected in waves by the persistent heat over the continent building from west to east during as the month of July progressed and into August 2006. Due to these very hot and dry conditions a fire caused by lightning forced thousands to flee in western Canada: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/07/news_20060707_ca3.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/07/news_20060705_ca.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/07/0703/20060703_ca.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/07/0707/20060707_ca.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/07/0708/20060708_ca.htm

Additional strong winds and dry conditions were challenging firefighters combating wildfires in the Northwest, Idaho and California in the U.S.: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/08/0801/20060801_us.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/08/0802/20060802_us.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/08/0804/20060804_us.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/08/0816/20060816_us.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/08/0830/20060830_us.htm

For the fourth time since 2000 U.S. firefighters were supported by specialist teams from Australia and New Zealand in extreme fire seasons. Also 15 smoke jumpers from Canada were helping out in Missoula, Montana: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/08/news_20060816_us2.htm

9 In September 2006 several large fires continued to burn in the Western U.S.: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/09/0906/20060906_us.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/09/0921/20060921_us.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2006/09/0915/20060915_us.htm

An uncontrolled wildfire crossed the border from U.S.A. into Canada in early September 2006: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/09/news_20060905_us.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/09/news_20060906_ca.htm

Driven by strong winds, the Sweat Farm Road Fire in southern Georgia extended from 400 hectares to more than 8,000 hectares in less than one day in April 2007, and forced thousands of people to evacuate. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/04/0420/20070420_us.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/05/0502/20070502_us.htm

The largest known fire in Utah’s history, consuming more than 147,000 hectares, was started by lightning on 6 July 2007: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/07/0720/20070720_us.htm

At the end of October 2007, California experienced one of its most destructive wildfires in the past decade. Several large wildfires that ignited in the extremely dry vegetation in Southern California were pushed by the Santa Ana Winds from the mountains towards coastal cities, forcing nearly a million residents to evacuate their homes. The wildfires killed several people, burned almost 530,000 hectares, and destroyed more than two thousand homes: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/10/1024/20071024_us.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/10/1026/20071026_us.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/11/1107/20071107_us.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/11/1107/20071107_us.htm

For losses and insurance see: http://www.swissre.com/resources/03f76d0047f2512a97be9fd3186693f3-PressRelease.pdf

Southeast Asia The annual drama continued in the ASEAN states. Fire and haze again were a problem in several provinces of Sumatra and Kalimantan and the Pollution Standard Index (PSI) had reached dangerous levels (300–550) in late September 2006. On 2 October 2006, the highest PSI at 913 was recorded in Pontianakin. Local authorities had closed down some schools, especially kindergarten and elementary levels. The number of people with acute respiratory track infections increased also dramatically. The thick haze again shrouded Singapore and Malaysia and the Government of Malaysia repeatedly encouraged the Indonesian Government to sign the ASEAN Agreement on Trans Boundary Haze Pollution. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/10/news_20061013_sea2.htm

Beginning in March 2007 thick smoke haze was hanging over much of Thailand, leading to a precarious situation in the country and its surroundings. The northern Chiang Rai province had been declared a disaster area and Thailand’s worst haze in 14 years spilled over to Singapore. Traditionally, before the rains and at the end of the hot, dry season, local farmers in the mountains burn off the preceding season's accumulation of vegetation to provide nutrients for the soil. This year, however, the region has been especially dry, and vulnerable, to having such fires spread out of control: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/03/0321/20070321_thai.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2007/03/0323/20070323_thai.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/03/news_20070314_th4.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/03/news_20070314_th2.htm http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2007/03/news_20070321_thai2.htm

South Asia In Pakistan bombings ignited a huge forest fire in Chitral. The Afghanistan-based NATO forces entered Pakistan's airspace and dropped bombs on two border towns of Arandu that caused a huge fire in the dense forests of the area: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/2006/10/news_20061019_pak.htm

Happy New Year 2008: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/GFMC-Happy-Old-Year-2007.png

10

IFFN-GFMC UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network Bulletin Issue No. 10 (# 1 / 2008 – June 2008)

Dear members of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and associated experts,

Just a short note on two recent and two upcoming events of the Global Wildland Fire Network

1) Eurasian Fire in Nature Conservation Network (EFNCN)

The „Symposium on Fire Management in Cultural and Natural Landscapes, Nature Conservation and Forestry in Temperate-Boreal Eurasia“, held in Freiburg, Germany, 25-27 January 2008, brought together the majority of parties involved and interested in the promotion of the use of prescribed fire in temperate/boreal Eurasia. For details see the EFNCN website and particularly the website with the symposium outcomes:

• http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/natcon/natcon.htm • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/programmes/natcon/EFNCN-meetings-1-2008.html

2) First International Central Asian Wildland Fire Joint Conference, Consultation and Experiment

The First International Central Asian Wildland Fire Joint Conference and Consultation “Wildland Fires in Natural Ecosystems of the Central Asian Region: Ecology and Management Implications”, Associated with the First Central Asian Forest Fire Experiment, was held in Mongolia, 2-6 June 2008. For details go to:

• http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/CentralAsia/CentralAsia_3.html

3) Joint Meeting of the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group

The next Joint Meeting of the Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network, the International Liaison Committee (ILC) of the International Wildland Fire Conferences and the Fire Management Actions Alliance Advisory Group (Secretariat: FAO) will be held 4-7 July 2008 at the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), Freiburg, Germany. The coordinators of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks will participate. More details on the outcomes will be published in the next bulletin.

4) International Aerial Firefighting Conference (21-22 October 2008, Athens, Greece)

The new millennium has experienced some of the worst fires around the globe in living memory. Not just wildfires that affect huge swathes of forest, savannah and agricultural land, but also fires occurring in suburban areas and city high-rise buildings as a result of both deliberate and accidental ignition. In 2007 alone whole communities in Athens and California have been razed at a huge cost to both human life and property. How can civil and military fixed and rotary aircraft, using highly innovative aerial firefighting technologies and techniques, work with firefighting units on the ground to suppress and extinguish these fires safely and successfully?

In response to these questions - and for the first time - BDAerospace has developed an aerial firefighting event, managed by Tangent Link that addresses both the global issues and aerial technologies and techniques necessary to attack both low-populated forest and agricultural wildfires and the highly populated urban and high-rise environments. This conference will bring together the

International Forest Fire News (IFFN) is an activity of the FAO/UNECE Team of Specialists on Forest Fire and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). IFFN is published on behalf of UNECE Timber Committee and the FAO European Forestry Commission and is serving the UN-ISDR Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN). Since June 2005 the IFFN/ GFMC Bulletin is

providing short news and global fire update information to members of Regional Wildland Fire Networks and partners. GFMC Website: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de Website of archive of the Bulletin: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/bulletin_news.htm worlds experts and focus on aerial firefighting technologies and operations, including the cooperation and collaboration experiences and lessons learned in ground-to-air firefighting management.

This conference will be running in association with the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), UNISDR-United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and the International Association of Wildland Fire.

Websites and conference brochure:

• http://www.bdaero.com/ • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/2008/meet2008_09.htm • http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/course/meeting/2008/Aerial-Firefighting-Conference- Brochure.pdf

GFMC, Freiburg, June 2008 Johann G Goldammer

2

Aerial Firefighting 2008 Registration form

Conference Delegate Rates: I Industry UK £599.00 +19% Tax I Aerial Fire Fighting Operators - Government, private, international UK £350.00 + 19% Tax I International Organisations - NATO, United Nations UK £250.00 +19% Tax Government Department Rate 1 - I Defence, Civil Protection & Forestry only £250.00 + 19% Tax Government Department Rate 2 - I Agriculture, Environment, Conservation, Land, Government AERIAL FIREFIGHTING 2008 Ground Firefighting Agencies £125.00 +19% Tax Please tick if you require an invoice in Sterling Euros US $ Sponsors and WHO SHOULD ATTEND (Prevailing exchange rates apply) supporters:

Name

Job Title 21st - 22nd October 2008 Attendees from Organisation Royal Olympic Hotel, Athens, Greece European Commissions & Environment & Research Directorates NATO - EADRCC - Euro- Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centres Address Ministries of Interior and Civil Protection Depts Civil Emergency Directorates AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Ministries of Forests Departments of Agriculture City / Town Departments of Conservation & Land Management FOR A GROWING Ground Based Fire Brigades State / County National Aerial Firefighting Organisations GLOBAL ISSUE... Helicopter Operators Postcode / Zip Helicopter Manufacturers Fixed Wing Operators Country Fixed Wing Manufacturers Keynote Address HALE UAV Manufacturers & remote fire spotting Telephone by Johann G Goldammer Communications system Manufacturers Powerplant Manufacturers Director of the Global Fire Monitoring Centre Fax Engine filter Manufacturers Avionics manufacturers - Terrain Avoidance Systems, TCAS, GPS, GPWS Email Manufacturers of firefighting products & delivery systems (buckets), rescue baskets, retardants, foams, gels etc www Exhibiting at the Aerial Fire Fighting Conference Email more info To Exhibit To Sponsor Limited Exhibition spaces are available at the conference where you may display your products and services to the delegates at this international event. The exhibition will be Payment: Credit Card situated in the Olympia Foyer Exhibition area, next to the conference room. This area (please note there is an additional administration fee charged by credit card companies) will be used for all refreshment breaks to maximise networking opportunities with the delegates. Card Holder Card Type

Exhibition spaces comprise: Card Number Exp Date • Raw space starting at 3m X 2m areas Official publication: • Allowance for 2 exhibition stand personnel Card Holders Address • Reduced delegate rates for exhibitor personnel

The Floor plan is available on request - spaces are allocated on a strictly first-come- first-served basis. For more information please contact: Geraldine McKenzie on Please fax back to: +44 (0)1628 660622 www.tangentlink.com +44 (0) 1628 660400, email: [email protected] Royal Olympic Hotel Conference Management 28-34 Athanasiou Diakou Str. Tangent Link Ltd Athens 3a Station Road 11743, Slough, Berks, SL1 6JJ 21st - 22nd October 2008 GREECE UNITED KINGDOM Tel:+30 210 92.88.400 Tel: +44 (0)1628 660400 Royal Olympic Hotel, Athens, Greece Fax: +30 210 92.33.317 Fax: +44 (0)1628 660622 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] www.tangentlink.com www.tangentlink.com REGISTER NOW! AERIAL FIREFIGHTING 2008 AERIAL FIREFIGHTING 2008 AERIAL FIREFIGHTING 2008 A GROWING CONCERN CONFERENCE PROGRAMME DAY 1 CONFERENCE PROGRAMME DAY 2

The new millennium has experienced some of the worst fires around the globe. 08.00 Registration & Networking 08.30 Registration & Networking Not only wildfires that affect huge swathes of forest, savannah and agricultural 09.00 Administrative Chairman’s Opening Address – 09.30 Chairman’s Opening Address land, but also fires occurring in suburban areas and city high-rise buildings as a Rear Admiral Terry Loughran FRAeS Rear Admiral Terry Loughran FRAeS result of both deliberate and accidental ignition. 09.10 Industry Chairman & Keynote Address Session – Technologies – Current & New Johann G Goldammer - The Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC)/UN 09.40 Bombardier CL-125/CL-145 - Canada How can civil and military fixed and rotary aircraft, using highly innovative aerial International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) (Confirmed) 10.00 Super Water-Bombing Tankers firefighting technologies and techniques, work with firefighting units on the Session - Global Operational Experiences 10.20 Beriev BE-200 - Russian Federation ground to suppress and extinguish these fires safely and successfully? 09.30 Title tbc - Christos Golfinos, Director of Forest Fires, Hellenic Fire Brigade* 10.40 Operating the PZL Mielec Dromader M18B - Hellenic Air Force, Greece* 10.00 Italian Operations - Col GianPiero Sanfilippo, Director of Flight Safety & Civil 11.00 Refreshment Break & Networking New Event Protection Fleet, Dept of Civil Protection, Italy* 11.30 Fixed & Rotary Winged Operations in Japan – Shinmaywa, Japan* 10.30 Refreshment Break & Networking 12.15 Safety – Richard Alder, General Manager, National Aerial Firefighting In response to these questions - for the first time, Tangent Link, in partnership 11.00 French Fixed Wing Operations - Commandant Michel Razaire, Head of Centre, Australia with BDaerospace have developed an aerial firefighting event that addresses Base d’Avions de la Sécurité Civile, BASC Marignane, France 12.45 Aerial Firefighting Pilot Training - Hellenic Air Force, Greece* both the global issues and aerial technologies and techniques necessary to attack 11.30 California Wildfires – Operating Sikorsky Firehawks - Anthony Marrone, 13.15 Buffet Lunch & Networking both low-populated forest and agricultural wildfires and the highly-populated Chief, Air Operations, County of Los Angeles Fire Dept, USA 14.30 Regional Networking – The Ground Perspective – Professor Nikola urban and high-rise environments. This conference will bring together the world’s 12.00 Interagency Cooperation – Cross Border & Ground-to-Air - David Bokovay, Nikolov, Faculty of Forestry, Skopje (Macedonia) & Chairman of UN-ISDR experts and focus on aerial firefighting technologies and operations, including the Aircraft Manager, CIFFC – Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, Canada Regional South East Europe Caucasus Wildfire Network cooperation and collaboration experiences and lessons learned in ground-to-air 12.30 Panel Session – Air Pollution from Wildfires – Problems related to Fire Smoke 15.00 Use of Fire Retardants in Aerial Firefighting: Technological Advances, firefighting management. Pollution, Human Health & Air Traffic/Aerial Firefighting Security – Professor Options, Current Technology Market Changes - James Robinson, Milt Statheropoulos, Council of Europe – European Centre for Forest Fires (ECFF) Superabsorbents Technology Manager, BASF* A worldwide conference for a growing global issue 13.00 Buffet Lunch & Networking 15.30 Refreshment break and networking This conference is running in association with The Global Fire Monitoring Center 14.30 Aerial Firefighting in Russia and CIS - Nikolai Kovalev, Chief of 16.00 Balancing Ground with Aerial Fire Fighting – Dr. Gavriil Xanthopoulous (GFMC), UNISDR-United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Avialesookhrana, National Aerial Forest Fire Centre of Russia* Researcher - Forest Fires National Agricultural Research Foundation, Institute and the International Association of Wildland Fire. 15.00 Operation “Fire Watch” - Johan Heine, Director, Working on Fire of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems and Forest Products Technology, Greece International, South Africa 16.30 Fire Spotting with Ikhana UAV – Tom Rigney, Ikhana & Global Observer With Keynote Speaker Johann G Goldammer - Director of the Global Fire 15.30 Refreshment Break & Networking Project Manager, NASA Dryden Flight Test Center & Vincent Ambrosia, Senior Monitoring Centre - the Aerial Firefighting Conference will embrace the issues, Session – Firefighting Management Issues Research Scientist & Principal Investigator for the Western States UAV techniques and technologies necessary to improve and develop the ways to 16.00 Role of Aviation in Fire Management - Tom Harbour, Director, Aviation/Fire (Ikhana) Fire Imaging Mission, NASA – Ames Research Center, USA Management US Dept Agriculture, Forest Service, USA 17.00 Panel Discussion – Should Europe develop a Cross-Border Aerial tackle wild and urban fires using aerial means. 16.30 Integrated Fire Management - Dispatch & Co-ordination System in Firefighting Rapid Reaction Squadron? South Africa - Lizette Heine, National Dispatch & Co-ordination Manager, 1730 Chairman’s Closing Remarks Live Aerial Demonstrations Working on Fire International, South Africa The Hellenic Air Force have kindly made available Elefsis Air Force Base for live 17.00 The Integration of Aerial Firefighting Assets with Field Firefighters *speaker to be confirmed demonstrations of aerial firefighting.These displays will take place on Monday in NSW - Shane Fitzsimmons, Commissioner, New South Wales Regional 20th October 2008. On display will be both fixed and rotary-winged aircraft Fire Service, Australia including the Canadair CL-415. Military transport will be provided to and from the 17.30 Safety Issues - Walt Darran, Associated Air Tanker Pilots (AAP) Safety Royal Olympic Hotel. Committee Chairman 1992-present & Ex-Safety Committee Chairman for the California Fire Pilots Association (CCFPA) 2001-2008, USA 21st - 22nd October 2008 18.00 Chairman’s Closing Remarks Royal Olympic Hotel, Athens, Greece 18.05 Drinks Reception *speaker to be confirmed www.tangentlink.com

UNECE

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Economic Commission For Europe of the United Nations

INTERNATIONAL FOREST FIRE NEWS

No. 36 January – June 2007

UNITED NATIONS

NOTE

The statements made in the articles are those of their authors and do not necessarily correspond to those of the secretariat or the official views of the author's home countries. Furthermore the designations employed and the presentation of the material of this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

ECE/TIM/IFFN/2008/1

UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION ISSN 1020-8518

iii

International Forest Fire News (IFFN) is an activity of the FAO/UNECE Team of Specialists on Forest Fire and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). IFFN is published on behalf of UNECE Timber Committee and the FAO European Forestry Commission. Copies are distributed and available on request from:

UNECE Trade Development and Timber Division Timber Branch Palais des Nations 1211 Geneva 10 SWITZERLAND Fax: +41-22-917-0041 E-mail: [email protected]

The publication is edited and prepared by Johann G. Goldammer, Leader of the FAO/UNECE Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, at the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), Germany.

Mailing address, telephone and fax numbers of the editor:

Johann Georg Goldammer Fax: +49-761-80 80 12 The Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) Tel: +49-761-80 80 11 Fire Ecology Research Group E-mail: [email protected] Max Planck Institute for Chemistry c/o Freiburg University / United Nations University (UNU) Georges-Koehler-Allee 75 79110 Freiburg GERMANY

All current issues of IFFN are posted on the homepage of the GFMC and can be accessed at:

http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/

All IFFN contributions published between 1990 and this current issue are accessible through 77 country folders and other special files on the GFMC website.

Call for contributions

Readers of the International Forest Fire News are warmly invited to send written contributions to the editor at the above address. These may be in the form of concise reports on activities in wildland fire management, research, public relations campaigns, recent national legislation related to wildfire, reports from national organizations involved in fire management, publications or personal opinions (letters to the editor). Photographs (black and white) and graphs, figures and drawings (originals, not photocopies, also black and white) are also welcome.

Contributions are preferably received by e-mail.

The deadlines for submitting contributions to the bi-annual issues are: 15 May and 15 November. iv

INTERNATIONAL FOREST FIRE NEWS (IFFN) IS AN ACTIVITY OF THE TEAM OF SPECIALISTS ON FOREST FIRE OF THE UNECE TIMBER COMMITTEE, THE FAO EUROPEAN FORESTRY COMMISSION, AND THE GLOBAL FIRE MONITORING CENTER (GFMC)

CO-SPONSORS OF IFFN AND / OR GFMC ARE:

The U.S. Department of the Interior The UN International Strategy for Disaster Bureau of Land Management Reduction (ISDR)

United Nations University (UNU) The World Conservation Union

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische The International Boreal Forest Research Zusammenarbeit Association (IBFRA) Fire Working Group

The IGBP International Global Atmospheric The International Union of Forestry Research Chemistry Project (IGAC) Focus Impact of Organizations (IUFRO) Biomass Burning on the Atmosphere and Forest Fire Research Group 8.05 Biosphere "Biomass Burning Experiment" (BIBEX)

v

CONTENTS

Editorial ...... 1

Special Issue on the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (13-17 May 2007, Sevilla, Spain), and the Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management

The 4th International Wildland Fire Conference: The Announcement...... 2

Opening addresses ...... 3

Recommendations of Session A: Mesoamérica, Caribe y América del Sur Conclusiones y Recomendaciones...... 6

Recommendations of Session B: Australasia and North America...... 9

Recommendations of Session C: Europe, Southeast Europe, Mediterranean North Africa and Caucasus ...... 11

Recommendations of Session D: Eastern Baltic, Central Asia, and Northeast Asia...... 15

Recommendations of Session E: South Asia and Southeast Asia...... 18

Recommendations of Session F: Subsahara Africa ...... 21

GOFC-GOLD Side Event Report ...... 24

Workshop on Aviation Management: Communiqué...... 25

Conference Statement as agreed by the Representatives of 13 Regional Wildland Fire Networks and Participants of the Joint Regional Sessions...... 27

Posters Presented by 14 Regional Wildland Fire Networks ...... 29

Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management...... 43

COUNTRY REPORTS

The Forest Fire Situation in Mongolia ...... 46

Fire Effects on Productivity and Community Dynamics of Mongolian Grasslands ...... 67

Fuel Assessment and Fire Prevention in Pine Plantations during the Tending Stage in Dalat, Lam Dong Province, Viet Nam...... 76

RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY

Small UAS Demonstration by NASA and the US Forest Service ...... 87

Due of the time lag between editing and print/distribution of IFFN, readers interested in meeting announcements are kindly requested to visit the Internet version of this issue for update and short-term announcement of meetings (continuously updated) on http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de

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Acknowledgements

The Secretariat takes this opportunity to thank the editor of the IFFN, Professor Johann Georg Goldammer of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and his team for preparing this issue of IFFN.

The Secretariat also wishes to express its appreciation to the national and international agencies who work together and are co-sponsoring the IFFN and GFMC: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, the International Boreal Forest Research Association Fire Working Group, the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project, the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the United Nations University, the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, and the World Conservation Union.

1

EDITORIAL

Strengthening International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management

The year 2007 started with a number of events in favour of recognizing and supporting the intent of the international wildland fire science and management community to strengthen international cooperation in fire management. The vision of building a global culture of fire management by sharing common goals and action had already received major support by the recommendations of the International Wildland Fire Summit of 2003 (see IFFN Special Issue No. 29) and the activities of the Global Wildland Fire Network (see IFFN Special Issue No. 31).

While there was limited agreement by countries to develop an International Wildland Fire Accord, as suggested by the Wildland Fire Advisory Group (WFAG) in 2004 (see IFFN No. 31) and as laid down in a position paper “Framework for the Development of the International Wildland Fire Accord” jointly developed by the WFAG, FAO and Global Observation of Forest Cover / Global Observation of Landcover Dynamics (GOFC/GOLD) - Fire Mapping and Monitoring Team1, the FAO-hosted Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Forest Management and the FAO’s Commission on Forestry (Rome, Italy, 2005) called upon FAO, together with the United National International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and collaborating partners to prepare a strategy to enhance international cooperation in fire management.

As follow up, an Expert Consultation on Wildland Fire Management (Madrid, Spain, 2006) recommended that the foundation of the strategy to enhance international cooperation in fire management should include: (i) a Global Assessment of Fire Management; (ii) a review of International Cooperation; (iii) the development of Voluntary Guidelines for Fire Management; and (iv) an implementation partnership. The first three products were collectively developed by fire experts from throughout the world, notably by representatives of the Global Wildland Fire Network, and presented to the 2007 meeting of FAO’s Commission on Forestry. The Committee requested FAO, in collaboration with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Global Wildland Fire Network and other partners, to finalize the Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation on Fire Management and welcomed the plan to present it at the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference, to be held in Spain in May 2007. The Committee also welcomed the development of Voluntary Guidelines on Fire Management in a multi-stakeholder process. It recommended that Members and forestry stakeholders make use of the guidelines and that FAO and partners facilitate their implementation in order to improve practices on the prevention, suppression and recovery from forest fire. The Committee also recommended that the Guidelines be maintained as a living document, to be updated and improved by incorporating feedback from implementation at country level.

The 4th International Wildland Fire Conference, which was held in Seville from 14 to 17 May 2007, provided a forum for fire management leaders, politicians, professionals, researchers and practitioners from throughout the globe to discuss and work on critical fire issues affecting people, communities, resources and ecosystems in all Regions and work on a cooperative way in the consolidation of a Global Wildland Fire Management Strategy; and to strengthen the effectiveness of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and support their links into the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network

Freiburg – Geneva, June 2007 Johann G. Goldammer

1 http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Global-Wildland-Fire-Framework-12-April-2005.pdf 2

The 4th International Wildland Fire Conference 13-17 May 2007, Sevilla, Spain The Announcement

Rationale and Introduction

The protection of the world’ environment cannot be effective without national and international fire management policies for natural, semi-natural and cultural landscapes and ecosystems that constitute an essential part of the habitable land and the functioning of the global system. National and international policies must be designed to meet both the specific local and the common global threats from wildfires and excessive application of fire in land-use change. These policies must be developed cooperatively with all the stakeholders involved in the protection of the environment and humanity.

A series of International Wildland Fire Conferences was initiated in the late 1980s aimed at bringing together both the technical members of the fire community and the authorities concerned with policy and national practices in wildland fire management to realise their common interests of wildland fire risk management and disaster reduction at local, national, regional and global scales.

During the International Wildland Fire Summit, held in Sydney, Australia, on 8 October 2003, the invitation presented by the representatives of Spain to organize and host the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference in 2007, was accepted.

The first general announcement of the Conference was presented at the 17th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry, Rome, 15 March 2005, and at the 5th Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests, New York, 18 May 2005. The Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) at its 12th Session (22 November 2005) welcomed the proposal that the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference be held in Spain in 2007 under the auspices of ISDR and FAO.

Objectives

Building on the objectives and outputs of the previous International Wildland Fire Conferences (Boston 1989, Vancouver 1997, Sydney 2003), the objectives of the 4th Conference will:

- Provide a forum for forest fire management leaders, politicians, professionals, researchers and practitioners from throughout the globe to discuss and work on critical fire issues affecting people, communities, resources and ecosystems in all Regions and work on a cooperative way in the consolidation of a Global Wildland Fire Management Strategy. - Strengthen the effectiveness of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and support their links into the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network - Provide a forum for the fire management industry, research organizations and fire specialists to display innovations, new technologies, products and methods for wildland fire management and interact with the Conference participants.

Organizers

The hosts and organizers of the Conference are the Ministry of Environment and the Junta de Andalucía of Spain, in cooperation with the International Liaison Committee (ILC), sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and the Fire Management Working Group, which was also responsible for organizing the previous three International Wildland Fire Conferences (Boston 1989, Vancouver 1997, Sydney 2003), the Wildland Fire Advisory Group of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and the International Association of Wildland Fire.

The Conference will be held under the auspices of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Commission. 3

U N I T E D N A T I O N S N A T I O N S U N I E S

4th International Wildland Fire Conference Sevilla, Spain, 13-17 May 2007 Opening Address by John Holmes UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs

Wildland Fires – Towards Enhancing International Cooperation to Reduce the Negative Impacts of Fire on the Environment and Humanity

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I would have very much wished to be with you today as the subject is of crucial importance to our work. Unfortunately, previous commitments have prevented me from attending the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference in person.

It has been almost four years since the 3rd International Wildland Fire Conference and the first International Wildland Fire Summit were held in Sydney in October 2003. The outcomes of the Summit were inspired by the fire situation in Australia, often referred to as the “Fire Continent”.

While it has been recognized that fire has its place in nature and must be managed carefully, there are signs indicating that natural and sustainable anthropogenic fire regimes are changing. Land-use and land-use change, the dependence of growing human populations on the natural environment, as well as the impacts of regional climate change, result in an increasing vulnerability of societies and an increasing risk of wildfires disasters.

Spain is one of the countries, which over the last five years has systematically and successfully called for cooperation in fire management with European countries and neighbours. Mutual assistance between countries in managing large fire disasters became more efficient in the extremely dry fire- prone year of 2003 and thereafter due to the foresight of decision makers of which some of them are participating in this conference.

However, there is not only the need to cooperate in fire disaster response. Fire prevention and preparedness are most effective in reducing the risk of large, less controllable fire disasters. This is why the International Wildland Fire Summit of 2003 endorsed a “Strategy for Future Development of International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management”.

One of the major implementers of the Strategy was the Global Wildland Fire Network. The Global Wildland Fire Network, which provides an umbrella of 13 Regional Wildland Fire Networks and is one of the most active programmes operating under the auspices of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. The last global fire assessments conducted in 2000 and 2006 were based on inputs of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks. With this information and data the United Nations agencies have obtained a realistic picture of the dimension of fire use, wildfire occurrence and the impacts of fire on planet Earth. This information is enabling the UN system to respond within the scope of the mandates of UN specialized agencies and programmes.

The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction intends to continue supporting the Global Wildland Fire Network and its Advisory Group. Both bodies are important for the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 “Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters”, which was formulated by the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in 2005. The development of a Global Wildland Fire Early Warning system within the envisaged multi-hazard Global Early Warning System, proposed by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2005, will be an essential improvement. The UNISDR International Early Warning Programme is facilitating the realization of this ambitious endeavour.

This conference is an important milestone for recommending action in view of a possible Global Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management. 4

Ladies and gentlemen, I congratulate the Government of Spain and the Regional Government of Andalusia for accepting the challenge of organizing and hosting the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference. The outcomes of this conference will be crucial for the consolidation and functioning of the Global Wildland Fire Network and the effective implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action and the ISDR.

Please allow me also to thank all members of the Global Wildland Fire Network for coming to Sevilla and contributing to this conference. Many of you have taken on the burden of intensive preparatory work and long-distance travel in order to be part of a process, which will contribute to sustainable development and protection of the world’s vegetation resources and to reduce the negative impacts of fire on the environment and humanity.

Ladies and gentlemen, with these words, I wish you every success in your deliberations. Thank you.

--- The speech was delivered by Douglas Pattie ------Senior Coordinator of the UN/ISDR Platform for the Promotion of the Early Warning ---

Opening Address by FAO Delivered by José Antonio Prado, Director, Forest Management Division

Señoras y Señores:

En nombre del Sub-Director General del Departamento Forestal de la FAO, Sr. Jan Heino hago llegar a ustedes un cordial saludo y nuestro agradecimiento al Ministerio de Medio Ambiente de España y a la Junta de Andalucía por la posibilidad de contribuir a esta IVa Conferencia Internacional sobre Incendios Forestales.

Para la FAO los incendios forestales y el manejo del fuego son temas que, desde hace algunos años, tienen una alta prioridad en su agenda.

Los países miembros de la FAO, reconociendo el papel crítico del fuego como elemento natural esencial para la mantención de ciertos ecosistemas y como una herramienta económicamente efectiva para el uso de la tierra, por una parte; y por otra, como la causa de grandes pérdidas humanas, económicas, sociales, ambientales y culturales, que comprometen los medios de subsistencia de millones de personas cada año; han hecho un llamado, a través de la reunión Ministerial de Marzo de 2005 y del Comité Forestal del mismo año, para que la FAO, en estrecha colaboración con los países miembros y con otras organizaciones, desarrollase una estrategia mundial a fin de incrementar la cooperación internacional en el manejo del fuego.

Siguiendo este mandato y reflejando el interés de los países y de otros grupos interesados en el tema, la FAO ha facilitado un proceso de amplia participación para el desarrollo de dicha estrategia, en la que se incluyen, como elemento central, unas directrices de carácter voluntario para el manejo del fuego, que vamos a presentar hoy.

Dichas Directrices han sido previamente sometidas a la consideración de los 137 países miembros y la Comunidad Europea, en la última reunión de la Comisión Forestal de la FAO, en marzo de 2007.

Los países han reconocido el trabajo realizado y han recomendado a la FAO y a las organizaciones asociadas que presenten las Directrices en ésta, la IV Conferencia Internacional sobre Incendios 5

Forestales, aquí en Sevilla, por considerar que se trata de la más importante serie de reuniones organizadas en relación al manejo del Fuego.

Sinceramente esperamos que tanto las Directrices como los otros componentes de esta estrategia sean un verdadero aporte al manejo del fuego a nivel global.

A nombre de la FAO y de las demás organizaciones y países que han trabajado activamente en esta iniciativa, entre los que quiero hacer especial mención al Ministerio de Medio Ambiente de España; el Servicio Forestal de los Estados Unidos de América; la Red Global de Manejo del Fuego, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) y el Instituto Nacional de la Investigación Agrícola de Francia, quiero invitarles a un análisis detallado de la estrategia durante la Conferencia y lo más importante, invitarlos a utilizar los directrices en su trabajo cotidiano y ayudarnos a encontrar formas de cooperación para hacer del fuego una herramienta segura para quienes realmente lo necesitan y para reducir al máximo los daños provocados por los incendios forestales.

Finalmente quiero agradecer y al mismo tiempo felicitar al Gobierno de España; a la Junta de Andalucía y al Comité Internacional de Enlace por la Organización de la IV Conferencia Internacional sobre Incendios Forestales. Reunir esta enorme audiencia de autoridades y expertos de todo el mundo ya es un gran éxito.

No nos cabe duda que al final de esta semana de intenso trabajo, se habrán logrado los objetivos, y habremos dado un importante paso en la lucha global contra los incendios forestales.

Muchas gracias.

Venue of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference

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4th International Wildland Fire Conference Recommendations of Session A

Evaluación del Fuego en la Región de Latinoamérica: Mesoamérica, Caribe y América del Sur

Conclusiones y Recomendaciones

Situación de los incendios y las capacidades de Manejo del Fuego

Mesoamérica

1. Los Gobiernos en general reconocen el incremento de los incendios forestales en la región. 2. Los Gobiernos reconocen que la prevención y el control de incendios revisten importancia, sin embargo debido a limitaciones de orden político muchas iniciativas no logran resultados concretos. 3. Las actividades de desarrollo que realiza el ser humano son la principal causa en la propagación de incendios forestales que muchas veces son el resultado de una problemática de inequidad social, falta de tenencia de la tierra, falta de cultura forestal y de información, políticas gubernamentales mal orientadas o desconocimiento de las mismas, así como propuestas fuera del contexto de la realidad. 4. Los cambios climáticos producidos por el fenómeno de “El Niño” y las diversas acciones de deterioro al ambiente que ha originado el ser humano a través de la quema de pastizales, la agricultura tradicional, la roza y quema, o los incendios accidentales; han incidido en la recurrencia de los incendios forestales en toda la región, afectando una gran variedad de ecosistemas naturales, poblaciones humanas y las economías nacionales. 5. En Mesoamérica se han desarrollado diferentes actividades a través de los últimos diez años, las cuáles buscaron aumentar la integración de los países en el tema de Manejo del Fuego. 6. La región dispone de recursos humanos de base entrenados, de sistemas de detección y equipamientos y herramientas para el control. 7. A pesar de los avances logrados en los últimos años en la consolidación y el desarrollo de programas de Manejo del Fuego en los países de la región, se requiere de un mayor compromiso político y asignación de recursos financieros, con el fin de implementar una serie de acciones relacionadas con el Manejo del Fuego en cada país de la región. 8. En los últimos años el énfasis en las políticas de los países se ha dado en control de incendios y estrategias para el fortalecimiento local en prevención de incendios. 9. Técnicamente, es necesario incrementar y adaptar el entrenamiento en Manejo del Fuego en cada país; mejorar la planificación, la organización y la detección e implementar sistemas de predicción de incendios forestales a nivel regional. 10. Es necesario aún, descentralizar actividades de prevención y control de incendios a nivel de las comunidades, municipios y organizaciones civiles, fortaleciendo las capacidades técnicas, los recursos y el equipamiento disponible. 11. Se requiere incrementar los niveles técnicos para la predicción, detección y monitoreo de incendios forestales en los países de la región.

Caribe

1. En los países del Caribe ocurren incendios forestales, no obstante la información sobre los mismos no esta disponible o no es divulgada convenientemente, siendo incierta la situación del fuego en la región 2. Las causas probables de incendios forestales en el Caribe son: incendios provocados por el uso del fuego con los fines de limpiar tierras agrícolas, mejorar pastos en la ganadería, crear asentamientos humanos etc.; incendios provocados por negligencia o deliberados para resolución de conflictos; incendios por causas naturales. 3. El fuego mantiene tipos de bosques en las islas del Caribe los cuales aparecen ligados a bosques de pinos. La mayoría de los incendios forestales ocurren en bosques secos y la mayoría de los asentamientos humanos se localizan en zonas de las islas de bosques secos, aumentando los riesgos de incendios. 7

4. La época de incendios en todos los países de la región es definida por la época de sequía y se presenta de forma común durante los primeros cinco meses del año. 5. En la gran mayoría de los países existen instituciones responsables de una u otra forma en la protección contra los incendios forestales y en otros tipos de vegetación; sin embargo, no es posible definir en todos los casos, si las instituciones correspondientes a cada país se ocupan de los incendios forestales, de incendios estructurales o de ambos tipos de incendios. 6. Las necesidades y limitación de los países de la región en materia de incendios es muy variable debido a la dispersión natural de las islas, sus diferentes tamaños y economías. 7. Todos los Estados han reconocido como una prioridad la prevención y el control de incendios y la necesidad de disponer de programas de educación en las escuelas básicas, medias y superiores. 8. Se reconoce la necesidad de involucrar a las comunidades locales en la detección de incendios. 9. Muchos Estados disponen de legislación que regula el uso del fuego, principalmente en la agricultura, sin embargo el nivel de aplicación de la leyes es bajo por limitadas capacidades en control o porque son controversiales en su implementación. 10. Las necesidades de colaboración son apreciadas en todos los países y deberían incrementarse a mejorar la efectividad en la prevención y control de incendios.

América del Sur

1. Los incendios forestales constituyen un severo problema en América del Sur, por sus graves consecuencias en la destrucción de recursos naturales renovables y sus impactos económicos, sociales y ambientales. 2. Los incendios forestales se presentan en la región de manera muy variable entre un país y otro, debido a las diferencias en las condiciones climáticas, vegetacionales, orográficas, uso de la tierra, niveles culturales y comportamiento de las poblaciones humanas existentes. Ello lleva a que la ocurrencia y la propagación del fuego difieran en forma notable de un país a otro, incluso, internamente en un país se pueden observar diferencias significativas en cuanto a la magnitud y características del problema y, también entre una temporada de incendios y otra. 3. La forma y la efectividad de la gestión en el control de los incendios presentan también grandes variaciones entre los países. Las distintas capacidades económicas de cada país establecen diferencias para la implementación de programas de Manejo del Fuego, en el nivel de conocimiento sobre el problema y en la aplicación de tecnologías y esquemas organizativos eficientes. 4. Sólo en algunos países se encuentran en operación sistemas estadísticos nacionales con información completa y confiable sobre incendios. En algunos casos existen antecedentes nacionales parciales. Prácticamente en la mitad de los países no existe información disponible al respecto, o bien no se publica. 5. En general más del 95 % de la causalidad de incendios en la región obedece a causas antrópicas. 6. En los países de la región la responsabilidad de la protección forestal recae, por lo general, en agencias gubernamentales. Sin embargo, a pesar que los bosques constituyen uno de los principales recursos nacionales, en la mayoría de los casos, el sector forestal no está claramente identificado y organizado y/o posee una baja jerarquía en el aparato público. 7. En general, todos los países cuentan con una legislación forestal que sirve de base para el enunciado de reglamentaciones que, con distintos énfasis, abordan de alguna manera el problema de los incendios forestales y la utilización del fuego. 8. Se aprecia una gran diversidad de realidades y una distinta profundidad en el tratamiento del problema de los incendios, posiblemente relacionada con la particular demanda social que se presenta en cada país. El problema de incendios y uso del fuego está presente en muy diversos grados. 9. La legislación sobre institucionalidad es insuficiente o incompleta en la mayoría de los países. En muchos casos, se transfiere la responsabilidad del combate de los incendios a instituciones no forestales, con un entendimiento tácito que se trata de un problema circunstancial, el cual será abordado en la práctica con recursos improvisados de voluntarios o fuerzas armadas. 10. Se comprueba en muchos países que las agendas políticas en materia de incendios forestales resultan preferentemente de la movilización de demandas y/o presiones y no de un proceso racional de evaluación de necesidades, valores y objetivos, sin embargo varios países de la región disponen de planes o estrategias nacionales de manejo del fuego. 8

11. Existen aún importantes oportunidades para promover el desarrollo de políticas públicas para la prevención y el control de incendios forestales, especialmente en aquellos países que carecen de definiciones frente al problema, o que cuentan con postulados insuficientes, precarios o desconectados de las demandas y posibilidades efectivas de materializar acciones.

Conclusiones y Recomendaciones

Los participantes de la Sesión Regional “A” recomiendan a las autoridades de todos los niveles y a las organizaciones internacionales:

1. Ejecutar las Estrategias de Cooperación para el Manejo del Fuego, elaboradas y acordadas en América Latina y el Caribe, invitando a los gobiernos de los países de la región a asumir compromisos de contribución para la implementación de acciones acordadas en los Grupos de Trabajo para el Manejo del Fuego de Centroamérica, Caribe y América del Sur, favoreciendo la utilización del capital de conocimientos en la región para una rápida transferencia a las particulares necesidades de cada miembro y creando condiciones que permitan la expansión de las bases de recursos.

2. Recomendar el reconocimiento oficial de los Grupos de Trabajo para el Manejo del Fuego de Centroamérica, Caribe y América del Sur bajo el auspicio, entre otras, de la EIRD de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas y el GFMC, fortaleciendo la vinculación con la Red Mundial de Incendios Forestales y agencias internacionales.

3. Crear mecanismos financieros nacionales y regionales para el manejo del fuego e implementación de las estrategias de Centroamérica, Caribe y América del Sur, incluyendo mecanismos privados adicionales a las agencias de financiamiento existentes, promoviendo el uso de incentivos que estimulen las buenas prácticas de manejo de los recursos forestales, pecuarios, agroindustriales y del fuego.

4. Fortalecer la cooperación y el intercambio de conocimientos y recursos entre los países de la Región, con la participación de los gobiernos, ONG’s, comunidades, sociedad civil organizada y agencias de cooperación, alentando la participación de Universidades y entidades de ciencia y tecnología en todas las áreas que forman los ejes del manejo integral del fuego.

5. Fortalecer y homologar las capacidades técnicas nacionales en el Manejo del Fuego y rehabilitación ecológica de áreas afectadas por incendios.

6. Fortalecer los conocimientos y las capacidades de las comunidades rurales y la cultura del riesgo a nivel de la sociedad general, alentando la gestión participativa en el manejo del fuego y promoviendo las buenas prácticas del uso del fuego reconociendo los impactos positivos.

7. Promover el desarrollo de políticas nacionales y regionales contemplando la integración del Manejo del Fuego a las políticas públicas de manejo de tierras, desarrollo sostenible y conservación de la diversidad biológica, sustentadas en una gestión participativa.

8. Alentar el diálogo y la evaluación sobre las implicancias de proyectos de Manejo del Fuego respecto al potencial incremento en la captación de carbono, bajo el Mecanismo de Desarrollo Limpio, favoreciendo una mayor integración entre el manejo del fuego y la mitigación del cambio climático.

9. Promover el desarrollo de protocolos entre países de la región para operaciones de control de incendios, los cuales representarán para los gobiernos nacionales, principios guías para la asistencia durante emergencias.

10. Generar a nivel regional los mecanismos necesarios para que países, organismos multilaterales, agencias donantes y de cooperación, fundaciones, entre otros, puedan apoyar con asignación de recursos a la atención de emergencias en los países de América Latina y el Caribe.

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11. Revisar mecanismos existentes de colección de datos y terminología usada y acordar entre los países un formato y glosario comunes a nivel regional.

12. Alentar el desarrollo de programas de protección contra incendios en el ámbito regional contemplando la evaluación del peligro de incendios e identificación de áreas vulnerables y estableciendo un mapeo de información regional de incendios (sensibilidad / vulnerabilidad de ecosistemas, riesgo de incendios).

13. Considerando los impactos globales en las regiones (cambios demográficos, de usos de la tierra, del clima, expansión de la pobreza), los participantes de la Sesión “A” recomiendan a la 4ta, Conferencia Internacional de Incendios Forestales:

a. Avanzar mediante consultas regionales en la discusión de los temas globales que están impactando en las áreas geográficas representadas en las Sesiones Regionales de esta 4ta. Conferencia, a través de la participación de las redes regionales.

b. Apoyar la realización de la 2da. Cumbre Internacional sobre Incendios Forestales en los próximos 2 años bajo el auspicio de la comunidad internacional involucrada.

Los participantes de la Sesión Regional "A" instan a las autoridades y las organizaciones internacionales a proporcionar la ayuda financiera y técnica a la Red Mundial de Incendios Forestales, y en particular a los tres Grupos de Trabajo en red de Centroamérica, Caribe y América del Sur representados en esta Sesión.

Sevilla, España, a 16 de Mayo de 2007

4th International Wildland Fire Conference Recommendations of Session B

Australasia and North America

Standardization in Fire Management – A Key for Cooperation

During this Regional Session, the use of the term ‘Fire Management’ was that as defined within the Voluntary Guidelines.

Self-assessment of the fire situation and fire management capabilities: The Australasia and North America Regional Session was presented with, and subsequently supported the findings of the FAO Fire Management Global Assessments of 2006, conducted within the framework of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (http://www.fao.org/forestry/en/).

Global issues impacting on the two regions were identified and discussed. They included:

- Fire suppression challenges – steadily increasing costs, demographic changes (limited young recruitment), increasing fire activity and greater demand on limited resources, equipment renewal and upgrades, and litigation - Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) – continuous expansion of the WUI and greater exposure to fire regimes of increasing fire activity - Land management – focus on the core issue of fire in land management rather than the suppression of wildfire - Climate change – consistent general trend of increasing area burned, fire intensity, fire severity, and longer fire seasons - Air quality – increasing wildfire activity causing release of greater amount of pollutants, resulting in greater public exposure to hazardous emissions

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Conclusions / Recommendations:

This regional session has highlighted the existing strong cooperative approach between the two geographic regions in fire management and fire research. Both regions are experiencing similar issues of increasing fire activity, increasing threat to human life, health and property, and greater demand on limited suppression resources. Resource sharing and multi-agency integration (through the Incident Command System, ICS) are key strategies for adapting to new emerging fire regimes, and the Australasia and North American regions are in a unique position to strengthen their capacities in this regard due to hemispheric differences in fire season timing. These factors have paved the way for enhanced cooperation through the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding:

- Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre and the United States Forest Service - Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre and the Australian -New Zealand Forests Fire Management Group - Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre and the Australasian Fire Authorities Council - United States Forest Service and the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre

The Australasia and North America Regional Session recommends to the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference:

1. That a series of Regional Consultations be held globally, within the next 1-2 years, to progress the global issues which are impacting on the geographic areas covered in this 4th International Wildland Fire Conference’s regional sessions.

2. That the 2nd International Wildland Fire Summit be held within the next 2 to 4 years under the auspices of the United Nations, aimed at developing a non-legally binding international accord on cooperation in wildland fire management.

3. That the international wildland fire community pursue the development of a global-scale international resource sharing strategy to assist countries with a) fire management planning activities (including prescribed fire for ecological purposes and fuels management), and b) active support during periods of wildland fire disaster.

4. Adopt the Strategies and Voluntary Guidelines for fire management and that the United Nations develops standards (e.g. training, fatigue management) to assist with the implementation of the Guidelines.

5. Encourages organizations to participate in Fire Management Actions Alliance as one part of the adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines.

6. That the United Nations promotes the global adoption of ICS including the publishing of an annual list of countries which have implemented ICS.

7. That a Symposium be held for fire management training professionals, within the next 2 years, to encourage global collaboration on training.

In accord with the desire to see further action on global issues impacting on wildland fire within the geographic regions of Australasia and North America, the Regional Session proposed that the Australasia and North America collaborators shall hold a joint Regional Consultation, in 2008.

The joint Regional Consultation will draw upon the collective intelligence to provide specific actions for global issues including the impacts of climate change, Wildland-Urban Interface, water availability, and management of the changing vegetative cover. In recognition of the need for scientific evidence to underpin the management policies, the Regional Consultation will bring together both academic and operational fire managers.

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4th International Wildland Fire Conference Recommendations of Session C

Europe, Southeast Europe, Mediterranean North Africa and Caucasus

Regional Fire Assessment and Conclusions and Recommendations

I. Self-assessment of the fire situation and fire management capabilities

1. Introduction

Fires in the Mediterranean Basin are more than just a consequence of long periods of drought; they can also be considered an indicator of the socio-economic differences between the different areas comprising the Mediterranean Basin and their respective levels of development. The highest number of fires and the most extensive areas are reported in the Mediterranean countries in the North of the Basin (Europe). This tendency appears to be extending from the Northwest to the East.

Socio-economic change in recent decades influences the risk of fires, given that it increases the flammability of the ecosystems. The changes with the greatest repercussions are: a) Rural depopulation, which leads to neglected areas of land. These areas are then invaded by natural and spontaneous vegetation that burns with a greater flammability. In addition, the aging population staying behind also increases the risk, given that traditionally farmers and shepherds burn the land themselves to control vegetation. b) Concentration of the population in urban areas, which widens the wildland/urban interface. The growing vegetation in the surrounding areas can eventually increase the risk to new residences (first or second homes). c) Shifts in priorities in forestry policy, which formerly were centred on the production of wood and other raw materials, are currently focused on nature conservation, landscape conservation and recreation. The decrease in timber removal and logging in some areas have led to increased amounts of biomass in woodlands, and hence increased flammability.

The reduced frequency of fires in the south and east of the Basin, where these changes have not occurred, contrasts noticeably with the high risk present at the Western European countries of the Basin.

To counter such a risk, during the last two decades the countries of the “fire club” (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece), have greatly improved their fire suppression resources at a high economic cost, with apparently acceptable results. Nevertheless, the possibilities of continuing to make large investments to combat the continued worsening of the problem seem almost expended. Thus, new approaches to forest fire defence are required to improve the strategies of prevention and suppression.

2. Determining factors

2.1 Ecological factors

Weather conditions and the way in which weather has been modified by the climate change do not seem to be leading to any lessening of the long periods of drought (3 – 6 months) in which vegetation becomes readily burnable. In addition, an increase in dry storms in those periods has been observed. As this coincides with extensive accumulation of fine fuels in the fields due to rural desertion, it could lead to highly intense fires in many zones at the same time.

2.2 Economic factors

The economic value of forest areas in the Mediterranean climate is lower than in any other sector, due to the slow growth of the species present and the scarce demand for the products that can be 12 obtained from the land, except for cork. The low direct economic value discourages investments that could improve the productivity of the land.

The risk of forest fires is an additional negative factor for the economy. Until now it has not been possible to establish—not to mention consolidate—a fire insurance system that facilitates the process of obtaining credits and, as a result, investments. Unfortunately, the environmental values in the forest areas are not able to attract capital investments geared toward high profitability.

2.3 Demographic factors

The Mediterranean Basin is a region with a growing population. From 1950 to 2000, the population grew from 225 million people to 450 million. Projections indicate that by 2050 it could reach 600 million. However, this population is concentrated in the coastal areas and in some built-up urban areas inland. Specifically, the urban population for the entire Basin constituted 60 percent of the total population in 1970 and reached 70 percent in 2000.

In the countries in the north of the Basin, the proportion is already at 90 percent. That is, rural areas are emptying and the mountainous woodlands, in particular, can already be considered deserted. The current elevated migratory movements do nothing to alter this situation, given that immigrants settle mainly in urban areas and in highly-productive agricultural zones (that is, areas with the most employment opportunities). In the short term, the desertion of rural areas leads to neglected land where natural regeneration takes over. During many years this land will present a high flammability. In addition, a low population also means lack of labour for carrying out forestry work in general and fire protection work in particular.

2.4 Political factors

The situation described in the above points is naturally not attractive enough to interest politicians in woodland protection. However, the urban population’s demand (through voting) for environmental protection has contributed to the establishment of permanent protection programs as one more of the services offered by the welfare state. Nevertheless, these services suffer the usual defects of such an approach: firstly, priority is given to the most urgent matters (fire suppression), which barely leaves resources available for the most important matters (prevention).

Secondly, government intervention generates passiveness among the population on one hand, and, on the other hand, a demand for impossible results in extreme danger conditions not clearly understood by the public.

3. Results of suppression work

As stated above, the majority of resources are centred on fire suppression, with the general criteria that all fires must be put out. The policy of allowing fires to burn in some areas (natural prescribed burning) is not considered a possibility under any circumstances.

The large amount of property and goods to be protected in urban areas, as well as the development of fire services in those areas, has in many cases led to responsibility for fire suppression being transferred to those services, disassociating it from forestry activities.

As this shift in responsibility has not been accompanied by a specialization in forestry techniques, it has led to rather long periods of lack of coordination and inadequate results. Gradually, however, the concepts of forest fire behaviour and the specific techniques of fire-fighting have become more widespread and there is a greater coordination among fire services and forest management services.

The principle of total fire extinguishment and, fortunately, the availability of economic resources has led to important improvements in the training and equipping of personnel, as well as the spread of use of aerial resources. Each summer more than 400 aircrafts aid in suppressing forest fires in the European Mediterranean countries.

But that principle means that all available resources are concentrated to fight a fire with the sole objective of minimizing damages at any cost, even if the cost is greater than the potential damages.

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4. Budgets allocated for forest fire protection

There is no database charting the investments made to protect against forest fires. Nevertheless, it can be estimated that the five E.U. Mediterranean countries invest more than 2.5 billion euros per year in prevention and suppression. 60 percent of this figure is earmarked for suppression equipment, personnel and operations, and the rest is allocated for preventative works.

5. New and old problems

The forest fire databases show that forest fires are a permanent seasonally-based problem in the Mediterranean region. Despite rural depopulation, the majority of fires continue to be caused by the traditional practices of burning for agricultural and farming purposes (burning of agricultural waste, burning of dry pastures). Winter fires in mountainous areas (the Cantabrian Mountains, the Pyrenees, the Alps) at times spread over a great area. Accordingly, fire services, which usually focus on the summer months, are forced to modify their strategies to include resources that are readily mobilized in winter as well.

The accumulation of fuel in large expanses of abandoned land sets the right conditions for large fires. In addition, lightning, which until a few decades ago was a less common cause, can increase the incidence of large fires in these large expanses of land. The tragic seasons of 1994 in Spain and 2003 in Portugal and France were caused mainly by the combination of lightning and extensive accumulation of fuels in the woodlands. As is foreseeable, intense erosive effects appear after large fires. It is an example of a chronic problem aggravated in recent times.

A new problem, which is becoming increasingly visible each new summer season, is the risk of fire in the wildland/urban interface. This problem, which was considered specific to other areas of the world such as California and Australia, is becoming more worrisome as building is occurring in forest areas, namely of first or second residences either on the coast or in the mountains near large cities. Disasters that destroy houses and take the lives of the residents are becoming more and more common. Fire services are therefore forced to concentrate on protecting homes and no longer focus on protecting the vegetation. Preventative legislation for this problem is either nonexistent or insufficient. Consequently, it is foreseeable that this problem could reach catastrophic importance.

6. International Coordination

Constitutionally, the European Union lacks a forestry policy, as such a policy was not contemplated in the Treaty of Rome. Nevertheless, in the last decade some movements have filled this gap, such as the European Parliament’s approval of a Forestry Strategy and the approval of a Reforestation Program for poorer agricultural areas. In addition, a series of Regulations for Prevention of Forest Fires was in place from 1985 to 2001. These Regulations were supported by very small funds. These Regulations are only a token support for certain preventive actions and have lead only to the creation of a European forest fire database (EFFIS)

In 2003 the new Regulation (Forest Focus 2003) was approved, for the forest monitoring network, the forest fire database, and other preventative measures. This Regulation ended by 2006.

It is necessary to note that no Community contribution is provided for suppression operations. Rather, there is strong solidarity between neighbouring countries through bilateral and mutual assistance agreements. In recent years, the availability of aerial resources has made such operations more frequent. Accordingly, it is necessary to regulate their use through revising and renewing agreements and endeavouring to establish homogenous coordination regulations, i.e., a regional Emergency Management System (EMS). The FAO/Silva Mediterranea Committee is promoting the elaboration of these regulations.

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7. Prospects

The problems identified and the determining factors are not caused by conditions of the forest itself. Rather, the forest simply suffers from these problems and factors, and reflects them in the form of forest fires.

Although global development for the forest sector has many advantages, it also has a serious drawback: greater frequency of devastating fires. Europe has a powerful fire suppression infrastructure and an acceptable database, but significant improvements are needed in some countries. Likewise, although a small group of researchers of forest fires does exist, their findings have only limited repercussion on the operating services in the sector.

Preventative silviculture is clearly insufficient, as are both the environmental education programs aimed at urban population and those aimed at rural populations. New problems in the wildland/urban interface may motivate society to demand that greater attention be paid to prevention, in the form of effective actions, and not only rhetorical declarations. The saturation of suppression resources and their ever-growing cost can influence this as well. During the 1990s, aerial resources were developed by taking advantage of the low cost of restricted aircrafts of military origin, both from the U.S. and from Eastern countries.

The new regulations regarding aircraft safety are making it necessary to introduce technological improvements for both security and efficiency, which leads to significant supplementary costs. This will limit the possibility of further expansion of the aerial resources currently used.

The most obvious possibilities for improving the system can only be found in a conjunction of preventative actions reducing the frequency of fires and limiting their intensity through silvicultural treatments reducing biomass accumulations.

In these conditions, the improvement of the quality of fire suppression services, with well-equipped, well-trained and well-organized personnel applying specific forest fire fighting techniques, will make it possible to maintain and improve the results discussed. In order to make this improvement of services a reality, it is crucial to maintain a high level of personal security through a wide-reaching system of personnel certification and recognition. Such a system would also facilitate operations of multilateral assistance among countries. Given the current environment of globalisation, such operations are likely to be more and more frequent.

II. Conclusions and Recommendations

1. The protection of the environment in Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and the Caucasus region cannot be effective without a Regional Strategy for Fire Management designed according to the distribution and intensity of the danger and developed in cooperation with the public and private stakeholders of the Forest Sector.

2. Rural abandonment and decline of the forest economy in the Mediterranean Basin is a major concern as climate change may aggravate the natural conditions of fire risk.

3. Special attention must be given to fires burning on radioactively contaminated lands, by fires on areas with unresolved conflicts and on territories with post-war hazards such as land mines and unexploded ordnance, as they affect human security and peace in the region

4. Priority is to be given to the prevention of fires caused as a consequence of the socio-economic changes in rural areas, and the promotion of the participation of the local population.

5. Some issues to be included in this Regional Strategy are:

- Maintenance, improvement and enlarging of the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) with standardized procedures for data collection and use of remote sensing for quick appraise of large fires impacts, as a tool to identify the high risk zones.

- EFFIS to set a danger prediction network covering all Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and the Caucasus. 15

- Definition of forest fire risk areas taking into account the fire incidente, fuels, value of forests, protected areas, forest-urban interfaces and forest ownership.

- Analysis of forest fire emissions and impacts on human health

- Studies on the silvicultural condition of woodland areas, including forest fuel and biomass maps in coordination with the National Forest Inventories.

- Analysis of socio-economic impacts of fires

- Studies on fire causes, including the use of fire at the rural areas and possible preventive actions in cooperation with the local population.

- Scientific research programmes addressing the consequences of changes of climate, land use and land cover and socioeconomic changes on fire regimes, environment and society.

- Creation and distribution of awareness materials in several languages.

- Programmes of preventive infrastructures: preventive silviculture, roads, lookouts, water reservoirs.

- Joint actions on border areas, where appropriate, such as observation and monitoring networks with compatible communication systems (considering languages).

- Promotion of bilateral and multilateral agreements for cooperation in suppression activities, including standardized procedures of integration of resources.

- International training courses

- Programmes for burned areas restoration, giving priority to the surfaces destroyed by large, intense fires, where the environmental impact is the greatest.

6. These Recommendations for a Regional Strategy are to be included in the Conference Conclusions and presented to the international bodies competent in the Region, like a contribution to the build up of a Regional Strategy of Cooperation in Fire Management.

7. Agencies and groups are encouraged to participate in the Fire Management Actions Alliance in support of their adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines for Fire Management.

8. It is also recommended that a Regional Consultation on Global Change and Wildland Fire will be convened within the next 2 years to progress to the 5th International Wildland Fire Conference.

4th International Wildland Fire Conference Recommendations of Session D

Eastern Baltic, Central Asia, and Northeast Asia

Regional Fire Assessment and Draft Conclusions and Recommendations for Discussion

I. Self-assessment of the fire situation and fire management capabilities

Central and Northeast Asia:

1) The Central and Northeast Asian regions for the last two decades are experiencing an increase in occurrence, area burnt and environmental impacts caused by wildland fires; 2) In most countries the damage from wildland fires and the cost of their suppression, as well as their influence on human health and wellbeing, are become more noticeable; 3) The scale of wildland fire sometimes has transboundary effects and demands international and cooperative efforts for the solution; 16

4) Reasons for the escalation of destructive wildfires are, among other, result of the rapidly changing socio-economic conditions, declining public budgets for fire management, and side effects of illegal logging; 5) Projected trends of climate change impacts on vegetation cover and fire regimes, as well as observed demographic and socio-economic trends suggest that wildland fire may continue to play a major role in the destruction of vegetation cover in Central and Northeast Asia, resulting, among other, in accelerating steppization, permafrost thawing and desiccation of peatlands / wetlands. 6) There is no international operational mechanism in the region allowing rapid re-grouping of forces to extinguish the large-scale, catastrophic fires; 7) There is a lack of a comprehensive understanding among fire specialists, policy makers and the general public of the nature and the role of fire in natural ecosystem processes, and in the concepts of fire management.

Baltic Region / Western Eurasia:

1) In the Baltic region and adjoining countries (Belarus, Ukraine, Western Russia), which are more densely populated than Central Asia and NE Asia, the extent of fires affecting natural forest and non-forest lands is less than in the Central and NE Asian regions. 2) However, an increasing of fires has been noted as a consequence of economic transition, including change of forest and land ownership, as well as the impacts of extremely long droughts and a generally warmer climate as a consequence of regional climate change; 3) Fires burning on radioactively contaminated vegetation in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine are an extremely high risk threatening human health and security in the region. 4) Fires burning in drained peatlands repeatedly have caused severe air pollution in . 5) Progress has been made in the use of prescribed fire in nature conservation, forestry and landscape management in Central and Northern Europe. The application of prescribed fire in general is often not yet understood and accepted by some public agencies in the region.

II. Conclusions and Recommendations:

The participants of the Regional Session “D” recommend authorities in all levels and international organizations:

1) To foster the bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of wildland fire management, realization of joint research and practical projects advancing the knowledge on wildland fires; 2) To promote utilization of advanced methods and instruments of fire monitoring and taking fast decisions; 3) To develop a system of fire specialists training and awareness rise of the population on the role of wildland fires and the rules of fire prevention; 4) To arrange a detailed consideration of such documents as “Fire Management: Voluntary guidelines. Principles and Strategic Actions”, proposals for international cooperation development in fire management; 5) To support the efforts of the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network, its Secretariat, the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), the Regional Wildland Fire Networks in uniting the international activities in fire management, especially in collecting and disseminating the fire information, arranging the intensive international dialogue, projects, etc.; 6) To promote the establishing of International Wildland Fire Training Center having also the functions of the Regional Fire Monitoring Center in one of the NEA countries; 7) To consult members of the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network as experts and technical specialists in the elaboration of solutions in complex international disputes and problems.

The participants of the Regional Session “D” urge authorities and international organizations to provide the financial and technical assistance to the Global Wildland Fire Network, and in particular to the three regional networks represented in this session. In order to realize this a strategic plan including a timetable of concrete actions in fostering international cooperation must be developed. One of the important steps is the organization of the follow-up work at national level in each country. The major steps in cooperation must be carried out on the national level, including annual meetings of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks, and joint projects of implementation: 17

1) The network members should take advantage of the accumulated expertise in fire management and international cooperation by international community; 2) It must be ensured that results from dedicated meetings, conferences and symposia reach the decision-makers and that these will be challenged to provide the necessary support; 3) Member countries should continue to strengthen their commitments to promote regional cooperation, including joint investigations, joint fire management demonstration projects, consultations, and conferences; 4) National discussions on the Voluntary Fire Management Guidelines should be held with the inclusion of civil society and all institutional stakeholders; 5) Education and awareness campaigns related to forest fire prevention should be a continuing effort by governments; 6) The development of a globally accepted fire management terminology and definitions in the most important languages must be put on the priority list of actions; 7) Financial support must be provided to the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and its secretariat, the GFMC, both by national authorities and international organizations; 8) Countries belonging to the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks must contribute to the creation of a Global Vegetation Fire Information System, an endeavour which will include the application of new technologies, advanced satellite systems for detecting and evaluating vegetation fires.

Global issues impacting on the regions were identified and discussed. They included:

• Demographic changes, widespread poverty • Land-use change and land management • Climate change • Human health, security and peace

Concerning the global issues impacting the regions, the participants of the Regional Session “D” recommend to the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference:

8. That a series of Regional Consultations – tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Regional Solutions for Fire Management” – be held globally, within the next 1-2 years, to progress the global issues which are impacting on the geographic areas covered in this 4th International Wildland Fire Conference’s regional sessions.

9. That the 2nd International Wildland Fire Summit – tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Fire Management Solutions for Mitigation and Adaptation” – be held within the next 2 to 4 years under the auspices of the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group, aimed, among other, at developing a non-legally binding international accord on cooperation in fire management.

In accord with the desire to see further action on global issues impacting on wildland fire within the geographic regions of the Eastern Baltic Region, Central and Northeast Asia, the Regional Session proposes that the participating networks shall regional preparatory consultations within the next two years.

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4th International Wildland Fire Conference Recommendations of Session E

South Asia and Southeast Asia

Regional Fire Assessment and Conclusions and Recommendations

I. Self-assessment of the fire situation and fire management capabilities

South Asia

1. In all countries in the region, fire is used by the rural population as a traditional tool for clearing and managing agricultural and pasture lands. It is also used to facilitate the gathering of Non- Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and in hunting and herding. Uncontrolled fires are common in the region, with a long and intense dry season. Many of these fires have the potential to cause major damages; 2. Consequences of uncontrolled fires in South Asia among others are serious degradation of forests, ecological changes, as well as deterioration of social and economical conditions in some land-use systems and natural vegetation types; 3. The South Asian region has diverse ecosystems, socio-economic and cultural settings and vegetation types resulting from a wide range of land-use systems and climatic conditions, consequently having diverse fire regimes and vulnerabilities; not all fires are destructive and fire management can be an essential part in ecosystem management; 4. There is a lack of existing regional capability in fire research and management, including monitoring, early warning and ecological and socio-economic impact assessment, and facilitating international cooperation in fire management; 5. There is increasing interest in Community-Based Fire Management (CBFiM) and the need for institutional and technological capability development at all levels; 6. There is high expectations from sustainable vegetation cover which helps to reduce poverty through livelihood support to rural populations; 7. The Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network is the youngest member (founded in April 2007) of the UNISDR-Global Wildland Fire Network. So, it needs especial attention, support and enabling environment to keep pace with the other networks. At present, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and are represented in the network.

Southeast Asia

1. At the beginning of the 21st century the application of fire in land-use systems and wildfires in forests and other vegetation in the South East Asian region are still contributing to the degradation of the environment and the atmosphere, jeopardizing the sustainability of land- use systems, and threatening human populations, especially human health. 2. Major problems associated with the inappropriate use of fire include the loss of habitats and biodiversity in forests; 3. Peatland biomes are particularly threatened as a consequence of peatland conversion by fire to cash crop plantations, notably oil palm plantations; 4. Regional transboundary smoke pollution is a consequence of land-use fires and conversion burnings in all vegetation types of the region; 5. Sixty percent of world’s tropical peatlands are found in South East Asia covering an estimated area of between 21 to 23 million ha. Peatland fires, as a result of peatland drainage and unsustainable management practices, have become a major regional problem that has negatively impacted human health, food production and biodiversity as well as contributed to global climate change. More than 2 million hectares of peatlands have burnt in the past 10 years resulting in thick smoke and haze blanketing the region inflicting damage worth an estimated USD9 billion. 6. Member Countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the international community have increased their efforts to reduce the occurrence and negative impacts of fires and the resulting transboundary haze pollution, among others, by the signing of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in June 2002, which entered into force in November 2003; 19

7. There is good progress in the implementation of the Agreement, including continuous monitoring of fires and associated haze by the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre in Singapore; development and operationalisation of a regional standard operating procedures (SOP) for monitoring, assessment and joint emergency response; simulation exercises to enhance coordination and communication mechanisms in joint emergency response; establishment of community fire brigades at the village level; development of an online inventory of available fire fighting resources in ASEAN Member Countries that could be made available in case of emergency; development and promotion of guidelines for “zero burning” and controlled burning practices; and a website to facilitate information sharing and dissemination. 8. ASEAN Member Countries have also adopted the ASEAN Peatland Management Initiative (APMI) to enhance peatland management in the region. Under this Initiative, ASEAN has developed the ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy (APMS) (2006-2020) to guide actions to sustainably manage peatlands and reduce fires and associated haze within the framework of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution; 9. A Panel of ASEAN Experts on Fire and Haze Assessment and Coordination has been established to undertake rapid assessment of the situation on the ground during potential or impending critical periods of fires and haze, and provide recommendations to facilitate immediate response and effective mobilisation of resources within the region. The Panel of ASEAN Experts has been deployed three times during the critical periods of 2006.

II. Conclusions and Recommendations

The participants of the Regional Session “E” recommend authorities in all levels and international organizations:

South Asia

1. To support countries to conduct national fire and fire management assessments, formulate legal frameworks and strategies, build sustainable fire management capabilities and institutions, develop fire management plans and human resources; 2. To give emphasis to improvement of participatory / community-based fire management approaches and institutional and technological capabilities at all levels; 3. To promote education and awareness-raising programmes on wildland fires; 4. To enhance cooperation among countries within the two regions and at inter-regional levels, aimed at sharing technology, expertise and data in fire management; 5. To encourage the endorsement and use of FAO’s Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines; 6. To endorse the objectives of work of the UN-ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network and Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and to support implementation of building fire management capability at both local and national levels, as well as through bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements; 7. To establish a regional South Asian Fire Monitoring Center, which in future may also serve as a regional coordination centre for wildfire disaster response; 8. To support the application of the non-legally binding instrument under the auspices of the United Nations Forum on Forest (UNFF) of 28 April 2007, and its implementation through the Multi-Year Programme of Work; as well as the International Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management, including the Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines in accordance with the recommendations by FAO-COFO / Ministerial Meeting 2005, and FAO- COFO 2007; 9. To create an enabling environment from all possible donors including national, international, bi-lateral, multi-lateral and private foundations for financial, technical and other resource support for sustainable fire management.

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Southeast Asia / ASEAN Region

1. To create enabling environment from all possible donors for financial, technical and other resources to support ASEAN in the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution; 2. To promote rehabilitation and sustainable use of peatlands and support the implementation the ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy (APMS); which comprehensively addresses not only the root causes of peatland fires and the associated transboundary haze pollution, but also other critical aspects including biodiversity conservation, socio-economic development, alternative livelihoods, and multi-stakeholder and multi-agency involvement using an ecosystem approach; at all levels; 3. To further intensify efforts in addressing the root causes of fire and haze problems including eradicating poverty and balancing short-term commercial interests with long-term sustainable development goals; 4. To further continue promoting multi-stakeholder participation and coordinated efforts at international, regional, national and local levels; 5. To further disseminate controlled burning practices and alternatives for shifting cultivation for the local community, as well as promote zero burning practices for commercial purposes; 6. To further intensify community-based fire management efforts such as development of community fire brigades; providing incentives and livelihood options for the local community to control open burning practices; and disseminating techniques on alternatives to using fires; 7. To continuously refine the regional SOP for monitoring, assessment and joint emergency response based on field experiences and through simulation exercises; 8. To develop strategies to mobilise and channel resources to support preventive and mitigation measures that are more long-term in nature, and explore innovative financing options, including micro-credit financing, market-based instruments, and carbon-related financing. 9. To ensure building and financing of sustainable structures and institutions at all levels responsible for fire management and / or inter-agency / multi-stakeholder involvement in fire management.

The participants of the Regional Session “E” urge authorities and international organizations to provide the financial and technical assistance to the Global Wildland Fire Network, and in particular to the South Asia and Southeast Asia Regional Wildland Fire Networks represented in this session. International cooperation must be developed in the region to address the issues related to wildland fires in the regions. A strategy could be the development of ‘North-South’ and ‘South-South’ linkages for planning, programming and project implementation.

Most important efforts to put forward at present are to foster cooperation, including regular annual meetings of the regional networks and project implementation:

1. Countries of the South Asia region not yet participating in the regional network are to be encouraged to join the network to cooperate collectively in resolving national and transboundary issues related to fire; 2. It must be ensured that the outcomes of the previous meetings, conferences, consultations should be realized by the decision makers in national and international levels; 3. Financial support must be provided to the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and its secretariat, the GFMC, both by national authorities and international organizations; 4. Member countries should also promote inter-regional cooperation, including joint investigations, joint fire management demonstration projects, consultations, and conferences;

Global issues impacting on the two regions were identified and discussed. They included:

• Demographic changes, including widespread poverty • Land-use change and land management • Climate change • Air quality and human health • Human security and peace

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The South Asia and Southeast Asia Joint Regional Session recommends to the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference:

10. That a series of Regional Consultations – tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Regional Solutions for Fire Management” – be held globally, within the next 1-2 years, to progress the global issues which are impacting on the geographic areas covered in this 4th International Wildland Fire Conference’s regional sessions.

11. That the 2nd International Wildland Fire Summit – tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Fire Management Solutions for Mitigation and Adaptation” – be held within the next 2 to 4 years under the auspices of the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group, aimed at developing a non-legally binding international accord on cooperation in wildland fire management.

In accord with the desire to see further action on global issues impacting on wildland fire within the geographic regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia, the Regional Session proposed that the South Asia and Southeast Asia collaborators shall hold a Regional Consultation in within the next two years.

4th International Wildland Fire Conference Recommendations of Session F

Subsahara Africa Regional Self-Assessment and Conclusions

I. Self-assessment of the fire situation and fire management capabilities

Global issues impacting on the regions were identified and discussed. They included:

• Demographic changes, widespread poverty • Land-use change and land management • Climate change • Human health, security and peace

1) In all major publications about vegetation fires in Sub-Saharan Africa, the African continent is referred to as the “Fire Continent”. Africa sparkles with more routine fire than any other landmass. 2) In Africa, south of the Sahara desert, more vegetation fires burn and in higher frequencies than on any other continent. In the African environment, fire is a natural factor as rain and sun. Approximately 175 million hectares (ha) burn every year, accounting for 37% of the dry matter burned globally. 3) The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission carried out the first global survey of burned areas. This study, based on the detection of fire scars from the SPOT-VEGETATION sensor for 2000, showed that Africa is the most fire-prone continent in the world. 7.7 percent of the continent burned in 2000, which is 64 percent of the global total of just over 3.5 million km2. 4) In terms of the number of fires, as indexed by the number of fire scars, Africa also leads the world, with 54 percent. For 2004, the MODIS sensors on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites detected active fires in 2.3 million 1 km2 pixels, equivalent to 7.8 percent of Africa’s land area, a similar extent of burning to that in 2000. 5) However, many Sub Saharan ecosystems require fire in order to sustain ecosystem health and not all fires detected are unwanted fires. 6) Integrated Fire Management approaches in Sub-Saharan Africa are facing an incredible number of difficulties and obstacles. There is a lack of sufficient institutional and organisational capacity in relation to fire management positions according to functions. 22

7) However, there are very encouraging examples, role models and many motivated people who want to actively change the unacceptable fire situation in their nation, region and on the continent. 8) Wildland fire management in Sub Sahara Africa is often an agricultural and conservation driven theme or affair; thus it becomes important to involve agricultural and conservation sectors to assume their responsibilities in using fires in controlled way. Social and economic factors, including arson, can only be solved through a people centred and participative approach.

II. Conclusions and Recommendations

The participants of the Regional Africa Session during the 4th Wildland Fire Conference 2007 in Seville, Spain:

1) Expressing concern about the impacts of uncontrolled fires and excessive application of fire in land-use systems Sub-Sahara Africa on ecosystem stability, including problems related to biodiversity conservation, sustainability of vegetation, soil and water resources, and other environmental resources 2) Noting that human-induced climate change factors are affecting the severity and destructive capacity of fires in wetlands, peatlands and landscapes infested with invasive alien plants. 3) Noting the increasing vulnerability of human populations in Sub-Sahara Africa to secondary natural disasters, notably flood disasters, landslides and erosion 4) Expressing the intent to jointly overcome the currently existing gaps, deficits and problems, notably concerning the lack or weakness of i. National fire management strategies, plans and legislation ii. Capacities of human resources trained for basic and advanced wildland fire management iii. Participatory fire management arrangements (Community-Based Fire Management in the frame of Community-Based Natural Resources Management) iv. Resources for public awareness and education campaigns to reduce unwanted ignitions. v. Resources for adequate fire management infrastructures and equipment in most Sub- Saharan countries vi. Research capabilities and academic training 5) Recalling the Global Wildland Fire Network and all other concerned organisations in supporting, harmonizing and strengthening efforts by the United Nations agencies and programmes, as well as other international organizations including non-government organizations, to reduce the negative impacts of Wildland fires on the environment, and to support the application of prescribed fire for the benefit of ecosystem stability and sustainability; 6) Endorsing the goal of the regional Sub-Sahara Wildland Fire Network and the Sub-Saharan Africa to promote and strengthen bilateral and multilateral agreements for cooperation in fire management; 7) Recognizing and supporting the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Forum of Forests (UNFF) and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the goals and joint endeavours of the Partnership on Environmental Emergencies (led by the UNEP-OCHA Joint Environment Unit), to protect the global vegetation resources and the global atmosphere from negative influences by vegetation fires, as well as the promotion of knowledge and techniques to utilize the beneficial role of fire in ecosystem management; 8) Recognizing and supporting the objectives of the Regional Sub Saharan Wildland Fire Network and the Southern Africa Fire Network (SAFNet), concerning international cooperation in wildland fire management between the countries members of and adjoining the Sub- Saharan Africa Region; 9) Endorsing the recommendations of the International Wildland Fire Summit (Sydney, 2003) concerning common international standards for fire management and the strategy for strengthening international cooperation in wildland fire management; 10) Supporting the objectives of the ISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and its Secretariat, the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), to systematically enhance the intra- and inter-regional cooperation in wildland fire management throughout the world; 23

11) Encouraging countries to develop protocols and agreement for mutual assistance in wildland fire disaster management, for example within the Sub-Saharan Africa region with special reference to Article 3 of the Sub-Saharan Africa Protocol on Forestry (dated 3 October 2002), and in close cooperation with the UN-ISDR, FAO, UNEP and OCHA.

Recommend the following to concerned individuals, governments and international organisations:

1. In accord with the desire to see further action on global issues impacting on wildland fire within Sub-Saharan Africa, the Regional Session proposes that the collaborators from Southern, Central, East and West Africa South of the Sahara shall hold a Regional Consultations within the next two years under the auspices of AfriFireNet; 2. To actively support regional fire management cooperation efforts. Namely the use and expansion of existing regional expertise within Sub-Saharan Africa countries; 3. To support common regional standards, namely Standard Operating Procedures and organisational structures in fire management (i.e. ICS) in order to facilitate cross border and Inter agency cooperation; 4. To actively support efforts in fire management capacity building, in order to build operational excellence including the purchase of basic fire management equipment, implementation of fire fighting and community facilitation training at all levels. (Suggesting the establishment of a Sub-Saharan Africa Wildland Fire Training College as a Centre of Excellence); 5. To confirm that Integrated Fire Management is defined as a series of actions that includes fire awareness activities, fire prevention activities, prescribed burning, resource sharing and co- ordination, fire detection, fire suppression and fire damage rehabilitation at local, provincial and national levels in order to create a sustainable and well balanced environment, reduce unwanted wildfire damage and promote the beneficial use of fire; 6. To actively support the implementation of IFM including the promotion of multi-partner organisational and institutional structures in Sub-Sahara Africa countries; 7. To encourage the incorporation of the FAO Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines in national fire management plans; 8. To integrate poverty reduction and social development efforts into fire management programmes. 9. To link Carbon sequestration initiatives with integrated fire management; 10. To promote and support the regional exchange of information, knowledge management, expertise and resources, including disaster assistance measures, through Bilateral and Multilateral Agreements with governments and the AfriFireNet network; 11. To strengthen and to harmonize the initiatives of the Global Wildland Fire Network, its regional initiative AfriFireNet and the Southern African Fire Network SAFNET; 12. To highlight the need for skill transfer into communities and community participative approaches in order to counter the growing number of unwanted fire ignitions;

N.B.: The words "support", "actively support", "promote and support" and "strengthen" in the above conclusions and recommendations have a clear financial connotation. Active support through funding mechanisms appreciated.

Concerning the global issues impacting the region, the participants of the Regional Session “F” recommend to the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference:

12. That a series of Regional Consultations – tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Regional Solutions for Fire Management” – be held globally, within the next 1-2 years, to progress the global issues which are impacting on the geographic areas covered in this 4th International Wildland Fire Conference’s regional sessions.

13. That the 2nd International Wildland Fire Summit – tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Fire Management Solutions for Mitigation and Adaptation” – be held within the next 2 to 4 years under the auspices of the UNISDR.

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4th International Wildland Fire Conference

GOFC-GOLD Side Event Report

The Global Observation of Forest Cover/Global Observation of Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC/GOLD) Program is aimed at improving the availability and use of both satellite and in-situ fire observations.

This one hour side event was focused on three aspects of the program. Firstly, a status report on two program initiatives to i) develop protocols and a strategy for global burned area product validation and ii) a development of a global fire danger program. Secondly status reports were presented on the Southern African Fire Network (SAFNET) and emerging initiatives in West Africa and Sudan. Thirdly an overview presentation was given on a GOFC/GOLD contributory project aimed at improving access to and usability of Fire Information for Resource Management Systems (FIRMS).

The GOFC/GOLD-Fire program is giving special attention to developing capacity in Africa for fire monitoring, tied closely to national level fire management. The presentations showed that progress that is being made to better define the African requirements for fire monitoring but increased support is needed for capacity building in terms of individual training and institutional structures and functions to implement effective monitoring programs.

The capacity building requirements do not only apply only academics and scientists but also to end users such as foresters, local government organizations, national parks. This requires the application of fire monitoring to the daily implementation of natural resource and fire management.

Summary Points:

• In the face of population dynamics, economic development, conflict and climate change, special attention is needed to monitoring and managing fires and fire regimes in Africa. • For a long term and sustainable fire management, emphasis must be given to community based fire information and early warning systems. • Recognizing the extremely limited capacity for fire management in Africa the regional fire networks provide an important mechanism for sharing experience and sharing fire monitoring capabilities. The session recognized the synergy between the GOFC regional networks (focused on monitoring) and the UNISDR AfirFireNet (focused on fire management) in sub- Saharan Africa. • There is an urgent need for increased international support and assistance to strengthen the regional initiatives with particular attention to capacity building in the fire monitoring. • The GOFC Regional networks are ready to develop and implement a harmonized approach for assessment initially addressing the extent and timing of burning followed by increased emphasis on the causes and use of fire. This activity will require international funding. It was suggested that this might be implemented through the UN FAO FRA in concert with AFRIFIRENET. GOFC/GOLD welcomes the emerging international Fire Management Actions Alliance and the regional networks are willing participants.

Contact: http://gofc-fire.umd.edu/

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4th International Wildland Fire Conference

Workshop on Aviation Management Communiqué

Summary

The aim of this session was to identify opportunities for multilateral cooperation to improve the safety, effectiveness and efficiency of aerial fire fighting.

A number of opportunities were identified for cooperation, including: - the sharing of information, especially related to safety of operations; - sharing of physical resources, including aircraft and specialist personnel.

The principal barriers identified included: - lack of standardisation of operating procedures; - differing approaches to regulatory aspects of aviation.

The session agreed on a statement of intent to continue communication, cooperation and collaboration in the field of aerial fire-fighting.

The session made a number of recommendations to the Conference, encompassing: - the need to continue to identify opportunities for sharing of information and resources; - the need to establish frameworks to properly evaluate the net benefit (including accounting for benefits of prevention of losses) of application of aerial means; - the need to ensure that aerial operations are managed, supervised and supported to a high standard, and are properly integrated with other aspects of fire operations; - the establishment of a formal network to facilitate the continued sharing of information, with a priority on safety-related information - the need to standardise approaches to integrated management of aerial means.

Report of the session

The aim of the session was to explore avenues for future multi-lateral cooperation in the aerial suppression of wildland fires, with the objective of improving global performance in the safety, effectiveness and efficiency of aerial fire fighting means.

An emphasis was placed on examining the opportunities for international exchange of information, particularly (but not exclusively) relating to the safety of aerial operations.

The session identified a number of opportunities for cooperation and collaboration: - the exchange of information, in particular information that will enable the fire and aviation communities to pro-actively identify and treat safety issues; - the exchange of physical resources, in particular: - within and between regions, to reduce duplication and to provide capacity to address surges in demand; - between jurisdictions or locations with complementary fire seasons, primarily to provided enhance commercial opportunities, and to improve viability of investment in new technology and equipment; and to alleviate skills management and personnel retention issues associated with seasonality of work.

A number of barriers to cooperation and sharing of resources were also identified for potential treatment, including - language - lack of coordination mechanisms or coordinating bodies; - differences between countries in the approach to the regulation of aviation activities and difficulties in cross-jurisdiction recognition of regulatory compliance; - differences in standards of operation, including the training and certification of personnel.

Common themes emerging from discussion in the session, included: 26

- the considerable benefit that would flow from a more structured, formal approach to sharing of information relating to the safety of aerial operations, including "lessons learnt" and the ability to identify trends requiring remediation; - the issues posed by climate change, and by demographic changes (particularly in the expanding wildland urban interface. - the need for proper analysis of benefits of aerial suppression, with could extend to include accounting for the prevention of emissions of 'greenhouse' gases through effective reduction in the extent of forest fires; - the critical importance of a high standards of management, supervision and support for aerial operations; - the importance of security of contracts (length of term of contract) for service providers, in order to support investment in modern equipment; - the importance of applying standardised approaches to management and support of aerial operations (for example use of ICS, standard communications technology and protocols) to under-pin opportunities for sharing of resources.

Agreed Statement of Intent

The workshop considers that in the current and predicted global fire environment the use of aerial means to support the suppression of fires may, in appropriate circumstances, offer benefits in community safety, security of the environment and fire suppression efficiency.

The workshop notes the recommendation of the FAO Fire Management Global Assessments of 2006 that "countries collaborate within and between regions, sharing knowledge and experience ....International and regional collaboration should be considered at Technical workshops and high- level meetings....to promote collaboration."

The fire-aviation community intends to continue to communicate, cooperate and collaborate to improve the global performance of the means of aerial fire fighting in safety, effectiveness and efficiency.

Agreed recommendations

The workshop recommends to the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference that:

1. Agencies and service providers note that there are opportunities for the sharing of aerial resources - information, people and aircraft - between and within global regions. 2. Agencies and organisations with responsibility for forest fire prevention and control establish frameworks to analyse the opportunities for appropriate application of aerial means where there is net benefit (including accounting for the benefits of prevention of losses). 3. Agencies and organisations with responsibility for forest fire prevention and control note that experience around the world has demonstrated that aerial means must: a. be managed, supervised and supported to a high standard, and b. be properly integrated with other aspects of fire operations to ensure effectiveness and efficiency. 4. That an examination be made of the possibility of establishing a formal network of parties with an interest in aerial firefighting means, in order to facilitate the continued sharing of information. As a priority, such a network should provide means for the timely and regular sharing of information which may positively impact the safety of aerial operations. Arrangements should include provision for regular meetings of persons involved. 5. Agencies and organisations utilising aircraft in forest fire control consider opportunities to apply of standardised approaches to the integrated management of aerial means, such as the application of the Incident Command System, and the application of common communications technology and protocols.

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4th International Wildland Fire Conference

Conference Statement

As agreed by the Representatives of 13 Regional Wildland Fire Networks and Participants of the Joint Regional Sessions

The 4th International Wildland Fire Conference was held in Sevilla, Spain, 14-17 May 2007. The conference was held under the auspices of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Commission and hosted by the Government of Spain and the Regional Government of Andalusia. The conference brought together 1531 participants from 88 countries from throughout the world, representing government organizations and civil society from all regions of the world, the United Nations and other international organizations.

The participants of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference presented the state-of-the art in fire science, fire management and fire management training in all continents. A commercial exhibition provided insight in innovative fire management technologies, including fire detection, monitoring, suppression, and firefighters and public health and safety. A number of organizations and international associations involved in the wildland fire arena held side meetings and recommended enhancing the international dialogue.

The FAO and partners presented progress in the development of a Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management, requested by the Ministerial Meeting in 2005. The Strategy is being progressed through a multi-stakeholder process and includes a Global Assessment of Fire Management, a Review of International Cooperation and Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines. During the Conference, and as part of the Strategy, the Fire Management Actions Alliance was launched to promote, implement and update the Voluntary Guidelines. At the time of the launching event 35 partners – national agencies, universities and international organizations – had signed up to the Alliance.

Fire management specialists, many of them organized and cooperating in Regional Wildland Fire Networks, reported the state of the fire situation in their home countries and in the 13 regions. With reference to the global developments impacting on the fire situation in the regions of the world, the national and regional analyses of the fire situation and a self-assessment of fire management capabilities, the representatives of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and the participants of the joint regional sessions recognized the global issues impacting on fire occurrence and the consequences of fire on the environment and humans in the regions of the world, notably the

• Demographic changes resulting in alterations of sustainable fire regimes, e.g. the consequences of rural exodus or – vice-versa – exurban migrations, coupled with a loss of traditional, sustainable land-use systems; • Widespread poverty associated with unemployment, exurban migrations and land tenure conflicts and resulting in increasing human-caused fires; • Land-use change involving increasing fire use for conversion of vegetation, notably in the tropics, and expansion of land use to fire-sensitive lands, e.g., peatlands, drained or otherwise desiccating wetlands, and other fire-sensitive vegetation; • Increasing costs of fire suppression; • Expansion of the wildland-urban interface in some countries and increasing vulnerabilities and greater exposure of rural settlements to increasing occurrence of severely damaging fires; • Consequences of, and the contribution to, climate change, resulting in increasing occurrence of extreme droughts in most regions, desiccation of wetlands, thawing of permafrost sites, and a general trend of increasing area burned, fire intensity, fire severity, and longer fire seasons; • Human health and security threatened by increasing wildfire activity and land-use fires causing release of a greater amount of pollutants and resulting in greater public exposure to hazardous emissions, including transboundary transport of fire smoke pollution at regional to global levels; • Human security and peace threatened by fires burning on radioactively contaminated lands, by fires on areas with unresolved conflicts, and on territories with post-war hazards such as landmines and unexploded ordnance.

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Being cognizant of the global issues, as listed above, the representatives of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and the participants of the joint regional sessions agreed to the need to develop synergies through coordinated and collective action to address the most pressing problems related to fire management globally. Further the conference participants recommend that:

• The international wildland fire community pursue the development of a global-scale international resource sharing strategy to assist countries with fire management planning activities (including prescribed fire for ecological purposes and fuels management), and active support during periods of wildland fire; • The FAO promote the global adoption of Incident Command System (ICS) including the publishing of an annual list of countries which have implemented ICS; • Regional strategies for fire management be developed and designed to the specific needs of regions; • An international framework for fire management standards be developed and regional wildland fire training be supported, especially to meet the needs for capacity building in developing countries; • Scientific research programmes addressing the consequences of changes of climate, land use and land cover, and socio-economic changes on fire regimes, environment and society must be supported at all levels; • The Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management and the implementation of the Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines be encouraged and endorsed; • Agencies and groups be encouraged to participate in the Fire Management Actions Alliance in support of their adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines; • The UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network, the Regional Wildland Fire Networks and the Secretariat of the global network, the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), be supported by national agencies and international donors aimed at fostering international cooperation in fire management, including collecting and disseminating fire information, arranging and enhancing international policy dialogue, and supporting projects; • A series of Regional Consultations tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Regional Solutions for Fire Management” – be held globally, within the next 1-2 years, to progress the global issues that are impacting people, resources and livelihoods; • The 2nd International Wildland Fire Summit – tentatively addressing “Global Change and Wildland Fire: Fire Management Solutions for Mitigation and Adaptation” – be held within the next 2 to 4 years under the auspices of the United Nations and partners.

The conference participants thanked the organizers and hosts of the conference for bringing together the international community responsible for wildland fire management. The participants welcomed the offer of South Africa to host the 5th International Wildland Fire Conference, tentatively in 2011.

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4th International Wildland Fire Conference

Posters Presented by 14 Regional Wildland Fire Networks 2

2 Note: High-resolution versions of the posters are available at: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/posters.html 30

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Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management

The FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests and the 17th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry, March 2005 (Rome, Italy 2005) called upon FAO, in collaboration with countries and other international partners, including the UNISDR, to develop a Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management, that advanced knowledge, increased access to information and resources and explored new approaches for cooperation at all levels. They also requested preparation of a Voluntary Guidelines on the prevention, suppression and recovery from forest fire. The need for such tools to assist in international cooperation had also been highlighted at the 3rd International Wildland Fire Conference and the International Wildland Fire Summit (Sydney, Australia 2003) because of the increasing incidence and severity of impacts of major fires globally.

FAO coordinated an international expert consultation in wildland fires (Madrid, May 2006) that agreed upon the components of the Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management.

StrategyStrategy toto enhanceenhance internationalinternational cooperationcooperation inin firefire managementmanagement

GlobalGlobal ReviewReview of of VoluntaryVoluntary ActionsActions AllianceAlliance assessmentassessment internationalinternational guidelines:guidelines: forfor 20062006 cooperationcooperation principlesprinciples implementationimplementation 20062006 andand strategic strategic actionsactions

The components of the overarching Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management include:

• Fire Management Global Assessment to assess and analyze fire management in each region of the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks and detail global conclusions and recommendations (http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0969e/a0969e00.htm); • Fire Management Review of International Cooperation 2006 to detail priority themes, key actors, activities and scope for future international cooperation in fire management (http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/J9406E/J9406E00.htm); • Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines that outline the Principles and Strategic Actions necessary for policy, planning and senior management decision makers to achieve more integrated and cross sectoral approaches to fire management (http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/j9255e/j9255e00.htm); and 44

• Fire Management Actions Alliance for implementing the Voluntary Guidelines, enhancing international cooperation, sharing knowledge and technology and reviewing the Voluntary Guidelines (http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/firealliance/en/).

These tools have been tailored primarily for land-use policy makers, planners and managers, including the Governments, the private sector and non-governmental organizations to assist in the formulation of policy, legal, regulatory and other enabling conditions and strategic actions for more integrated and cross-sector approaches to fire management. Their scope includes the positive and negative social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts of natural and planned fires in forests, woodlands, rangelands, grasslands, agricultural and rural/-urban landscapes. The fire management scope includes monitoring, early warning, prevention, preparedness (international, national, sub-national and community), safe and effective initial attack on incidences of fire and landscape restoration following fire.

The Process

The Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management and the component documents were formulated and reviewed through a multi-stakeholder process. Technical core group meetings (FAO, Rome, Italy March, July and September 2006) and an expert consultation (Madrid, Spain, May 2006) held working sessions for participation of fire specialists from Governments, private sector associations, non-governmental organizations and inter-governmental organizations to prepare and revise the draft documents.

The Fire Management Global Assessment 2006 and the Fire Management Review of International Cooperation provided valuable baseline information that highlighted priority focus areas (technical and geographic) that were necessary in preparation of the Voluntary Guidelines and the Fire Management Actions Alliance.

The Fire Management Strategy and Voluntary Guidelines were presented to, and discussed at FAO’s six Regional Forestry Commissions and at the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) fire management meetings during 2006. The Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines were available to fire management stakeholders to provide feedback from July-December 2006. A final draft of the Voluntary Guidelines was presented to, and supported by, the 18th Session of FAO’s Committee on Forestry (Rome, Italy, March 2007) and the Voluntary Guidelines and Fire Management Actions Alliance were launched at the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (Sevilla, Spain, May 2007) to foster international partnerships for implementation, particularly to strengthen developing country capacities and capabilities in fire management.

The FAO Committee on Forestry, in March 2007, acknowledged the progress and furthermore:

• Requested FAO, in collaboration with the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and other partners, to finalize the Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Fire Management, • Welcomed the development of the Guidelines in a multi-stakeholder process and recommended that members and forestry stakeholders make use of them; • Recommended that FAO and partners facilitate implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines; and • Recommended that the Voluntary Guidelines be maintained as a living document, to be updated and improved through feedback from implementation.

The Fire Management Actions Alliance was a response to these expectations.

FAO’s collaborating partners that provided inputs on an "in kind" basis included members of the USDA Forest Service; Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC); UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network; The Nature Conservancy, the Government of Spain and the International Liaison Committee of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference. A broad stakeholder group of experts representing Governments, the private sector, IGOs and NGOs also gave of their valuable time.

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The Voluntary Guidelines

The Voluntary Guidelines provides a non-legally binding framework of priority principles and strategic actions for integrated and cross sectoral approaches to balance the social, cultural, environmental and economic dimensions of fire management and to prescribe key actions for the planning and management of fires. This framework supports achievement of the Millennium Development Goals: particularly Goal 1 to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; Goal 7 to ensure environmental sustainability; and Goal 8 to develop a global partnership for development.

Fire Management Actions Alliance

The Alliance was launched in May 2007 during the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference in Seville, Spain with 40 founding members. Further membership applications are under consideration.

The Fire Management Actions Alliance is an international partnership to:

• Review and update the Voluntary Guidelines based on implementation experiences; • Encourage stakeholders at all levels to adopt and use the Voluntary Guidelines; • Review experiences from applying the Voluntary Guidelines; and • Strengthen international cooperation in fire management.

Any organization, agency, or group, willing to adhere to the Charter of the Alliance, can apply for membership that is decided by an Advisory group to the Secretariat. Membership implies a commitment to:

• Promote the Voluntary Guidelines; • Use the Voluntary Guidelines in implementing fire management activities; • Share knowledge, information and data on activities and progress in fire management, with reference to the Voluntary Guidelines; • Enhance international cooperation in fire management.

Applications for membership from a wide range of organizations involved in different aspects of fire management are invited.

FAO, through its Forest Management Division, in collaboration with the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and with support of members, provides communications, coordination and related services to the Alliance through the Secretariat. The Secretariat operates with voluntary contributions from members.

IFFN Contribution by

Jim Carle Senior Forestry Officer (Plantations and Protection) Forest Resources Development Service Forestry Department FAO of United Nations Viale Delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome ITALY

Tel: +39-06-5705-5296 Fax: +39-06-5705-5137 e-mail: [email protected]

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COUNTRY REPORTS

The Forest Fire Situation in Mongolia

Abstract

Forests occupy about 11 percent of Mongolia’s territory. Despite the low forest cover the forest ecosystems are considered a key asset of the ecological wealth and the well-being of people in the country. Diverse environmental and ecological conditions have resulted in the development of a variety of forest ecosystems. Disturbances in these sensitive ecosystems deserve detailed investigations to prevent damages to nature and society. On the background of tremendous losses of forests through fires, the forest conditions and issues of forest protection considering the role of fires, their causes, the system of monitoring and managing forest fires and measures to prevent fires are elaborated. Mongolia’s government initiatives are directed to improve the situation with the forests, and their disturbances as a whole. An essential legal regulation has determined the ratio between financial means provided for the protection of the environment and income received from the use of natural resources. Some 85 percent of income from forests must be directed to forest protection and restoration.

1. Introduction

Mongolia is a country with small forest resources, but the forest’s importance is seen from the fact that the country occupies tenth place by area of forestland and first place by forest area per capita in the Asia region. About 92 percent of the total original forested area of 17.5 million hectares is currently growing trees, while 8 percent is not. Management of forest resources in Mongolia suffers from several weaknesses such as unregulated use, overuse, and inadequate protection. As a result, the important causes of forest degradation and deforestation are fire, overgrazing, mining activities, improper commercial logging, illegal collection of wood for construction and for use as fuel, hay making in forest steppes, complacency in enforcement of forest rules and regulations and damage by pests and diseases. Forest fires, by far, have had the most serious impacts on the forest of Mongolia. Forest fires are mostly incendiary, caused by herders and collectors of antlers.

Wildfires constitute a major factor that determine spatial and temporal dynamics of forest ecosystems. About 4 million ha are disturbed to varying degrees, either by fire (95 percent) or by logging (5 percent). On the average, 50 to 60 large forest fires and 80 to 100 large steppe fires occur annually. The recent increase in the number of fires is related to anthropogenic causes. The most obvious consequence of frequent and intense fires is the loss of forested land. The current fire pattern is affecting 14 percent of this resource annually.

This paper characterizes the forest situation and discusses the merits and demerits of the existing fire management system in Mongolia trying to identify the most useful measures for building an efficient fire management organization.

2. Mongolian Environmental Status

2.1 Geographical Location and Land Surface

Mongolia is a land-locked country which covers an area of 1 564 118 km2 on the southernmost fringe of the Great Siberian boreal forest and the northernmost Central Asian deserts and vast steppes bordering the Russian Federation in the north and the People’s Republic of China in the east, south and west. According to size, Mongolia is the seventh largest country in Asia and among the biggest of the land-locked ones (Figure 1).

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Figure 1: Geographic location of Mongolia. Source: http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/mn.htm)

The Mongolian environment has a large variety of features. The northern part of the country is covered by forested mountain ranges. The southern part encompasses desert, desert-steppe and steppe areas with low mountain and rolling hills characterized by sparse vegetation cover. The western part is made up of a cradle of snow-capped high mountains and glaciers, and the eastern part consists of an area of vast plains and wild heaths. About 81% of Mongolian territory is situated higher than 1000 m a.s.l., the lowest and highest points being at 532 m and 4374 m, respectively (Tsedendash, 1998). Besides, one third of Mongolian territory consists of desert steppe zones.

2.2 Basic Natural Belts and Zones

Mongolia can be divided into six natural belts and zones (UNDP, 1998): Alpine belt, Mountain Taiga, Mountain Forest Steppe belt, Arid Steppe, Desert Steppe and Desert zones. These belts and zones differ from each other on the basis of their soil quality and plant and animal species which, in turn, are adapted to different habitats and climate conditions characteristic to each of these belts or zones.

The Alpine belt of the Mongolian Altai, Khangai and Khentii mountainous regions, with their perpetual snow, glaciers, traces and signs of ancient ice covers, has been well preserved due to a constantly cold climate and strong winds. The area is inhabited by some endangered animal species. These are the Wild Mountain Sheep (Ovis ammon), Siberian Ibex (Carpa sibirica), Snow Leopard (Uncia uncial), Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus), and Altai Snowcock (Tetraogallus altaicus). The respective plant species are the Dwarf Siberian Pine (Pinus pumila), Ptilagrostis mongolica, and White Gentiana (Gentiana algida).

The Mountain Taiga belt comprises about 5 percent of the Mongolian territory in the Khuvsgul and Khentii mountain ranges in the northernmost part of the country and experiences a relatively cold and humid climate with an annual precipitation of close to 300 to 400 mm. Due to a short warm period, the growing season is not long enough for many plant species. Forests in this belt are dominated by the Siberian Pine (Pinus sibirica) and the Siberian Larch (Larix sibirica), and are inhabited by animal species registered in the Mongolian Red Book, such as the Musk Deer (Moschus moschiferus), Elk (Alces alces), Lynx (Lynx lynx), and the Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra).

The Mountain Forest Steppe belts extend through the Mongolian Altai, Khangai, Khuvsgul mountain massifs and borders on the Mongolian Taiga belt which is in the southernmost fringe of the Great Eastern Siberian Taiga. One specific feature of the Mountain Forest Steppe is that the back slopes of the mountains facing the north, northeast and northwest are covered with different species of forest and woody plants whereas their front slopes facing the east, south and southwest are densely covered by the steppe plants almost up to the sharp ridges of the mountains, giving an impression of sharp 48 boundaries of habitats of the mountain forest and steppe species. The Mountain Forest Steppe belt encompasses 25% of Mongolian territory and is inhabited by such globally endangered animal species as the Manul (Felus manul) and the Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix), and plants threatened by extinction such as the Mongolian Pheasant’s Eye (Adonis mongolica) and Saussurea involuctur.

The Arid Steppe zone with an area of approximately 20% of the country’s territory comprises the entire Eastern and Central Mongolian flat plain extending as a tapering zone thousands of kilometres westwards to the northwestern fringe of the Khangai mountain range called Khankhokhii. The Mongolian steppe is part of the great plain which starts from the Danube river in Hungary and includes the Puszta, sweeping towards the east up to the Manchurian steppe in Eastern Asia. The vegetation of the Mongolian steppe is dominated by Xerophyta, several species of Caragana, Artemisia frigida and many forms of feather grass. Mongolian Gazelles (Procapra gutturosa), roaming and grazing in herds of several thousands, can also be spotted in this area.

The Desert Steppe zone includes the Depression of the Great Lakes, the Valley of Lakes and the Middle and Eastern Gobi Lowlands. This area belongs to the semi-arid zone which has an annual precipitation of 100 to 200 mm, loose soil and fewer species of animals and plants compared to the zones, northwards. The Desert Steppe is a habitat for such animal and plant species like the Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus hemionus), Saiga Antelope (Saga tatarica), Black-tailed Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotic undulate), and Caragana bungei.

The Desert zone is located in the southern and southwestern parts of Mongolia and has a severe climate with annual precipitation of less than 100 mm and high diurnal temperature fluctuation. The Desert zone is an area of extremely unique physical formations of changing contrasts like hills, hillocks, rolling heaths and sand dunes. It contains deposits of ancient flora, fauna and mineral resources, and provides a habitat for threatened animal species such as the Wild Camel (Camelus ferus bactrianus), Gobi Bear (Ursus arctos gobiensis), and Mongolian Agama (Stellio stoliczkamus). Plant species found in such habitats include Populus diversifolia, Potanin’s Trumpet Flower (Incarvillea potaninii), Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, Halimodendron halodendron, etc.

2.3 Climate and Climate Change

The main characteristic of the climate of Mongolia are sunny days, long and cold winters, low precipitation and large annual, seasonal, monthly and diurnal fluctuations in air temperature. The average mean temperature recorded in January is -34°C in the plateau and depressions but extreme temperatures have been recorded between -50°C and -56°C. In the northern mountains the average mean temperature in the warmest month is between +15°C and +20°C but again, extreme temperatures have been recorded of +35°C to +41°C, depending on the area. The total annual precipitation in mountainous regions averages to about 400 mm, in the steppe from 150 to 250 mm and in the desert steppe less than 100 mm. About 75 to 85 percent of the precipitation falls during the three summer months.

The Mongolian territory is demarcated along the mountains in the north and down through the plateau semi-desert where it reaches a drop in elevation in the southernmost part of the Gobi desert. Accordingly, there is more precipitation in the north and less in the south, as well as, drier, warmer and more windy weather in the south. Although, Mongolia has many warm and sunny days in autumn, the air temperature starts to fall in September. In the north, the mean daily temperature falls below 10°C in the first week of September. But in the desert the mean daily temperature falls below 10°C around the end of September. The mean daily temperature reaches 0°C in the north during the first week of October, and in the south, at the end of October.

Climate change is expected to have significant effects on the re-growth and productivity of forests. Climate scenarios indicate that the forest area might decrease due to expansion of the steppe and desert zones. The high mountains, tundra and taiga regions are expected to decrease by 0.1 to 5% in 2020 and 4 to 14 % in 2050. The area of the forest steppe may decrease by as much as 3 percent in the first quarter and 7 percent in the second quarter of the 21st Century (MAP-21 1998). The forest gap model (FORET) was used to estimate future changes in the species composition and productivity of specific sites. Biomass dynamics of the main species in northern forests, larch, cedar, pine and birch, were calculated according to the GCM climate change scenarios, in which carbon dioxide would be doubled. The result shows that the total biomass might decrease by 27.2 percent for larch, 5.1 percent for birch, 35.3 percent for Siberian pine, and 4.2 percent for Scotch pine (Batsukh 2004). 49

2.4 Soils

The harsh continental climate, rugged mountains, Central Asian steppes and deserts have created specific conditions for the formation and distribution of a variety of soil types in Mongolia. The lower latitude steppe, desert-steppe and desert zones extending throughout the southeastern, southern and southwestern parts are characterized by an extremely dry climate and sparse vegetation and contain the arid-steppe’s brown, the desert-steppe’s grey brown and the real desert’s grey brown soils. The northern high regions with sufficient moisture supply contain grey soils of the mountain and mountain forest steppes, or the brown soil of the mountain steppes, and the mountain taiga’s cinder-like soil. Soil formation and distribution are affected by a variety of conditions like climate, landscape forms (including slope steepness) and exposition.

Mongolian soil is divided into two soil-bio-climate regions: northern and southern, belonging to special regions of Central Asia. The northern mountainous region is generally characterized by dark brown and brown soils. Because the quality of the soil is good, this region harbours twice or three times the number of species as comparatively found in the Gobi desert region. The southern, southwestern and western parts of the country contain light chestnut, light grey and grey steppe soils (UNDP 1998).

2.5 Water

Mongolia has comparatively high levels of surface and ground water resources. The rivers of Mongolia belong to the inland drainage basins of the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and Central Asia. The higher and middle Selenge, the biggest river in the country, and parts of the Yenissei River which start from Mongolia belong to the Arctic Ocean drainage basin. In the northern and western mountainous part of Mongolia, the water network is of high density. The southern, central and southeastern parts of the country have few rivers and other water resources and they are usually situated in depressions without any outflows. Mongolia has 3 811 rivers and streams with a total length of 67 000 km, over 3 000 big and small lakes with a total volume of 500 cubic kilometres, about 6 900 springs with steady flows, over 190 glaciers with a total size of about 540 square kilometres and over 250 mineral water springs which form specific water ecosystems.

Rain, ground water, snow and glaciers are the main water sources of rivers. It is common that in the north-south and east-west directions, rain is the more important source for the rivers, while the amount of snow water flow decreases. The ground water resources in the country are spread unevenly and from north to south the chemical components of the water change and mineralization increases. It is caused by the changes in climate, as a decrease in precipitation from north to south, increases the air temperature and evaporation. Therefore, southern parts of the country have sparse vegetation and fewer species of animals (Munkhzorig, 2002).

3. Characterization of the Forests and their Governance

3.1 Distribution of Forests and Abundance of Forest Species

The forests are mainly located in the northern parts of the country, basically within the Khangai and Khentii ranges and Khobsogol region. Mongolian forests are located on the very brink between the Siberian taiga (Trans-Baikal forest area) and the Central Asian steppe zones, functioning as a separator of taiga and steppe. They play an important role in the maintenance of naturally balanced water conditions in rivers and streams, in the prevention of soil deterioration, in the amelioration of the climate as well as in the preservation of the permafrost in its ecologically important form. Due to their Central Asia hard continental origin forests in Mongolia have low capacity of natural regeneration and they are very sensitive to forest fire, insects and human forest use. Non-forest lands of almost 1.4 million hectares consist of southern mountain slope sites, pasture and grass haying sites, sub-alpine areas, etc. Figure 2 provides an overview of the structure by land cover types of the forest lands. 50

Total Forest Land Area 19 166 100 ha

Coniferous and Deciduous Saxaul forests Non-forest area forests 13068500 4 592 100 1 505 500

Hay fields, sun-exposed Forest areas mountain slopes 17 660 600 127 000

Lakes, rivers, marshes Area covered by forests Area not covered by 121 100 13 448 100 forests 4 212 500

Nurseries 200

Natural Shrubs Fire damaged Sparse Logged Areas to be Sub-alpine / Tundra forests forests forests areas reforested areas 12 840400 607 700 717 100 2 892 700 202500 405500 114100

Forest belts 100 Figures in ha

Figure 2: The forest structure of Mongolia. Source: Water and Forest Resource Center 2007

Besides biophysical attributes of land cover the forests of Mongolia have been structured by functional categories, which can be characterized as follows:

1. Strictly Protected Forest Zones include the strictly protected sub-alpine forests and those parts of the protected highland areas which have already been included in the network of the established Protected Areas. Forests in the Strictly Protected zone are to be managed to maintain their ’’natural features” and their “ecological balance” though, inexplicably, the law allows protection and suppression measures against fire and pests, both of which are important natural influences in the renewal and regeneration of boreal forest. These forests cover up to 48.2% of the country’s total forested area. 2. Protected Forest Zones include natural forest and woody plant reserves in the green sub-zones, forest in Buffer zones, all saxaul (Haloxylon ammodendron) forests, forest in oases and on mountain slopes steeper than 30 degrees. Forests in this category cover 45% of the total forested area. 3. Utilization Forest Zones include all other forests, excluding those mentioned in the other two categories; these zones consist of forests where selective timber cutting and logging are allowed. These forests make up over 6.8% of Mongolian forests.

Mongolian forests contain about 140 species of trees, shrubs and woody plants. The most important coniferous and broadleaved species are listed in Table 1.

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Table 1: Distribution of forest stock by leading tree species in Mongolia. Source: Tsogtbaatar (2002)

Tree Species Standing Stock Coniferous (m3) Siberian larch Larix sibirica 1 026 860 600 Scotch pine Pinus sylvestris 92 606 000 Siberian pine Pinus sibirica 163 960 400 Spruce Picea obovata 3 688 100 Fir Abies sibirica 375 700 Broadleaved Birch Betula platyphylla 86 162 900 Poplar Populus sp. 2 120 600 Aspen Populus tremula 1 390 200 Willow Salix sp. 544 700 Total 1 379 181 700

The standing volume averages to over 100 m3 ha-1 ranging from 19 m3 ha-1 for willow, 65 m3 ha-1 for birch to about 140 m3 ha-1 for Siberian larch and pine, respectively. Mean age by tree species has been estimated at about 40 years for the broadleaved species and over 120 years for the coniferous tree species. The crown coverage is about 0.53 on the average (Tsogtbaatar 2002).

3.2 Legal and policy framework

Rules on forestry in Mongolia were first adopted in 1925, which then became the Forest Law in the 1930s. Since 1995, the Mongolian parliament has adopted about 25 environmental laws, covering various aspects of land use, environmental protection, air, plants, animals, forests, toxic substances, environmental impact assessment, wildlife protection, and protected areas, etc. (Government of Mongolia, 2002).

The Forest law, enacted in 1995 and amended in 2007, provides the basic framework for the protection, proper use and regeneration of Mongolia’s forests. According to this law the state owned forest land and forest resources are subject to leasing or allocation to economic units, organizations and to groups of citizens. The law regulates the roles and responsibilities of government agencies and as well as citizens. Mongolia is also signatory of international treaties with important implications for forest management.

A National Forest Policy was prepared in 1998. It focused on forest utilization, forestry resources conservation and social welfare concerns. The forest policy was revised through the National Program on Forestry (Non Timber Forest Products) in 2001 and the National “Green Wall” Program in 2005. These policy documents clearly represent state policy to shift its priorities away from utilization of forest resources towards conservation, protection and reforestation. The National Program on Forestry priorities are institutional restructuring, forest fire and pest management, reforestation and enhancing the quality and efficiency of timber processing. The National “Green wall” priorities are building totally 3 000 km long green zones between desert and steppe eco-zones from western to eastern regions of Mongolia with the aim to combat desertification and sand movement (Ykhanbai, 2004).

Structure and Powers of the Government Agency in Charge of Forestry

The new legal provisions laid down in the Forest Law of 2007 are regulating the establishment and tasks of a Forestry Agency.

- A government agency responsible for forestry (referred to as “Government Agency” hereinafter) and forestry units within the Aimags and in the capital city will be established within the departments responsible for nature and environment. They shall operate under the jurisdiction of the Member of Government in charge of nature and environment. - If so required, inter-Soum or Soum forestry boards, or forestry officers at some Soum Governor Offices may be installed to provide technical and methodological support in the implementation of national forest protection, utilization and reproduction policy at the local 52

level, and in organizing the transfer of forest parcels to partnerships, economic entities and organizations for possession on a contractual basis. - The Government Agency shall have the following powers: o based on forest resources available, prepare proposals on annual harvest resources for approval by the Central Government Authority; o organize the implementation of the decisions of relevant state and government bodies on forest utilization, protection and reproduction; o approve Soum and Duureg management plans and organize implementation thereof; o organize works at central and local levels to reforest logging areas, burns, infested and diseased tracts, to forest semi-desert, desert and steppe areas, and to establish forest belts; o plan forest ecology-economic evaluations and have them approved; o provide nationwide technical guidance and coordination to the work of establishing tree and shrub seed banks and forest nurseries, and growing seedlings and saplings; o provide technical guidance to local forest partnerships, economic entities and organizations; o distribute the budget allocations for forest protection and reproduction, monitor and report use of funds; o develop and have approved the methodologies, norms and standards for forest protection, rational utilization and reproduction; o monitor changes in forest resources, maintain the forest databank and supply information; o provide all-round support and assistance to the participation of domestic and foreign organizations in forest protection and reproduction activities; o develop model programmes and management plans for use by Partnerships, economic entities and organizations in their forest protection, utilization, and reproduction activities, approve guidelines and manuals for their formulation (Law of Mongolia on Forest 2007 Article 13)

Fire Prevention and Control

- Aimag, capital city, Soum and Duureg governors shall formulate fire prevention and control programmes and take measures to secure the requisite allocations in the local annual budgets. - Partnerships, economic entities and organizations shall self-finance the fire protection activities in their tenure forests. - A working group decreed by Aimag, capital city, Soum or Duureg governor, or the government fire fighting authority shall determine the cause of the fire, damages inflicted and expenses incurred to control the fire. - Citizens, partnerships, economic entities and organizations shall abide by the following requirements for fire prevention and control: o refrain from starting fire in the open air and ensure that such fire, if unavoidable, and its ashes as well as matches and cigarettes are completely extinguished in the fire seasons from 20 March to 10 June and from 20 September to 10 November; o in the fire danger periods, notify the respective environmental ranger and provide him/her with fire prevention warranty for logging, extraction of non-timber resources, trekking, outings and other activities; o strictly fulfil the provisions of Article 7 of the Law on Forest and Steppe Fire Prevention3. - Governors of all levels shall use their legitimate powers to mobilize the requisite human and technological resources and promptly take fire control measures while citizens, partnerships, economic entities and organizations shall comply with the rulings of the governors (Law of Mongolia on Forest 2007 Article 23).

3.3 Recent Changes of Mongolian Forests

Socio-economics: According to a survey of human impact on ecosystem in Mongolia during the last 100 years, it is seen that some 40% of all forests in Mongolia have been impacted at some level or

3 Law on Forest and Steppe Fire Prevention, published in Issue No. 11 of 1996 of the State Bulletin. 53 another; 684 000 ha have not regenerated after fire damage and 250 000 ha after clear cutting; 1 737 000 ha of coniferous forests have been replaced by birch and poplar, 159 000 ha by steppe and sand / stones, and 1 230 000 ha by low-quality coniferous forests. Cold-resistant taiga forest has been shrinking; and 16 percent of forest ecosystems have been replaced by non-forest ecosystems. Reports indicate that between 1974 and 2000 forest cover of an area of about 1.6 million ha was lost (Krasnoshekov et al., 1992).

The annual volume of logging, which was about 2.2 million m3 in the mid 1980s, fell to about 0.86 million m3 in 1992 and the harvest in the year 2000 was only 0.5 million m3. This fall is partly due to the influence of institutional and policy changes involving privatization of production enterprises and decentralization of decision-making power. But partly it is also due to the supply constraint caused by the reduction in the area of designated utilization forest from about 5.8 million ha in 1985 to 2.4 million ha in 1990, and further to 1.19 million ha in 1996. This is due to re-classification of some of the utilization forests as protected areas. Also, the Forest Law of Mongolia prohibited clear cutting of natural forests and prescribed selective cutting as of 1995 (Tsogtbaatar, 2002 ).

Between 1940 and 2002, a total of 45.8 million m3 of round wood was harvested from more than 320 000 ha, and annually about 395 500 ha were affected by forest fire and 101 100 ha of forest area damaged by insects and pests since 1980. Between 1996 and 1997 alone, 5.0 million ha were affected by forest fires, and within them nearly 500 000 ha forests were completely burnt and lost their ecological function.

In the period from 1995 to 2000, besides the Law on Forests the Mongolian Parliament adopted the Law on Fees for Timber and Fuelwood Harvesting, the Law on Forest Fire Prevention, and the Law on Quotas of Export Custom Tax on certain goods. But, relevant laws and regulations have not succeeded due to a lack of appropriate institutional restructuring and privatization of the forestry sector during the period of economic transition. In the past few years, silvicultural thinning has been reduced. Its annual rate reached less than 500 ha. Clearcuts covered about 1 000 ha annually. The salvaged trees have been used for sawn timber and fuelwood for local citizens (Forest Policy Statement 2001).

Since 1971, reforestation activities have been regulated by the State Central Plan and Directive. Reforestation activities totalling 100 300 ha cover only 30% of all logged area in the country. For example, reforestation and afforestation activity implemented annually covered about 3 900 ha in 1980-2000, 4 600 ha in 1996-1999, and 8 200 ha in 2002 (Tsogtbaatar, 2002). Due to financial constraints, activities on combating desertification and soil erosion and raising of seedlings have not met present needs.

The logged timber supplies domestic demand for wood and timber products. An assortment of woody products were once exported in small quantities, but forest enterprises, timber-harvesting companies, and wood-processing factories are at a standstill due to old, outdated machinery, equipment, and inappropriate industrial processing technology. This is reflected in the fact that in 1989, products of the forestry sector amounted to about 4.7 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP); by 1998 this rate had declined to 0.25 percent (Tsogtbaatar, 2002).

Faced with the problem of dwindling forests and its ecological consequence, the government has given emphasis to forest conservation in recent 10 to 15 years, with the objectives of conserving bio- diversity, maintaining ecological balance, protecting wildlife, enhancing beneficial influence of forest, and controlling desertification. Some 17.1 million ha, about 10.9 percent of the Mongolian territory, have been declared as protected areas. Of this, some 8.4 million ha are designated forest lands (The World Bank 2003).

Illegal logging: Today the government of Mongolia established quotas for sawn timber and fuelwood on the level of 0.04 and 0.6 million m3 correspondingly. This approximately is a half of wood used in the country, the rest is accounted for by the illegal cutting (Kondrashov, 2005). The government approved the law on the import of wood trying to balance demand and supply. Currently about 65 percent of logged wood is used by the poorest and economically disadvantaged groups of the Mongolian population in agricultural and urban regions for heating and cooking, for which there is no alternative. The result of this is the acceleration of the forest destruction. If there will be no other source of energy, then under today’s level of deforestation the serious shortage of the fuelwood will be felt by the end of this decade.

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Constant monitoring, maintenance of law and order in forestry is the responsibility of environment inspectors and foresters in Aimags (provinces) and Soums (districts). All inspectors are supervised by the State Inspection Bureau. Overcoming illegal logging is the main task of these authorities.

The government introduced some measures to decrease the illegal wood turnover including:

1. Certification code for transportation of commercial timber and fuelwood between the Aimags and cities; 2. Revised license to cut commercial and fuelwood; 3. Revised law articles connected with planning and allowable cut volumes; 4. Established sector inspection of illegal cuttings; 5. Involved NGOs and citizens in logging monitoring; 6. Government support to community based forest management approaches

The government tries to combine the efforts with the activities of the civil society beginning to understand that the forests and their sustainable development is one of the main economic pillars of the country.

In recent years, illegal logging in the forest, associated trade and corruption attracts a lot of attention of the worldwide, therefore “Forest Law Enforcement and Governance” (FLEG) action started to implement.

FLEG - At the national and international level participating countries assumed the role of strengthen coordinating actions to combat illegal logging and transboundary illegal trade, and associated corruption for sharing information and experience and for reporting progress on implementation, including e.g. through a peer review mechanism.

At the Ministerial Conference on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance in St. Petersburg, Russia, representatives of the Governments from Europe and North Asia (ENA region countries) and from other participating countries as well as the European Commission considered sustainable managing their forests and enforcing their forest laws and that good governance and law enforcement are prerequisites of sustainable forest management and further underlining that, while taking into account their international obligations, all countries have the sovereign right to manage and utilize their forest resources to meet their national policy objectives, recognizing that forest law enforcement and governance issues have local, national, transboundary, regional and global implications and then all these countries accepted and approved the St. Petersburg Declaration on 25 November 2005.

The Mongolian Government acceded to the St. Petersburg Declaration on 25 November 2005 therefore now Mongolia is responsible for developing its national Forest Law, resolution and policy on the Forestry and consisting with International conventions and negotiations.

For implementing St. Petersburg Declaration:

A. Nationally, within the ENA region 1. Policy framework 2. Legislation system 3. Institutions and Capacity Building 4. Sustainable Forest Management 5. Rural Development, Livelihoods and Poverty Alleviation 6. Trade and Customs framework

B. International level 1. Implementing Forest-related Policies 2. Trade and Customs 3. Research 4. Collaborative Implementation Actions. Strengthen coordinating actions to combat illegal logging and transboundary illegal trade, for sharing information and experience and for reporting progress on implementation, including e.g. through a peer review mechanism, of the St. Petersburg Declaration and indicative list of actions.

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For the implementation of the St. Petersburg Declaration, support of Donors and multilateral cooperation is very important. Participating countries at the Ministerial meeting are starting to implement the provisions of the Declaration.

The Mongolian Parliament approved the new version of the Forestry Law in May 2007 and started actions as implementing new law and to advertise on the right way to governmental and nongovernmental organizations, local citizen and all current organizations. Also we organized the advance FLEG workshop on illegal logging, its reason, associated trade and corruption and opportunities to overcome obstacles in the local level.

The GTZ program on the “Conservation and sustainable management of natural resources” organized five “Forest Law Enforcement and Governance” workshops.

4. Forest Fire Situation in Mongolia

4.1 Fire Environment, Fire Regimes and Ecological Role of Fire

Occurrence of forest fires depends on forest type, precipitation distribution, and availability of fire sources. Forest fire statistics for the period 1963 to 1997 reveal that the majority of fires burned within the central and eastern parts of the forested area. This can be attributed to the predominance of highly fire susceptible (highly flammable) pine Pinus sylvestris and larch Larix sibirica stands. Annual precipitation ranges from (200) 250 to 350 mm. Air temperature fluctuations can amount to 90°C, with the summer maximum being +40°C. Snow cover is usually not more than 10-15 cm deep. Summer is the season of the lowest precipitation that usually occurs as heavy showers. Moreover, economic activities are much higher here as compared to other parts of the region.

The average fire season usually has two peaks. One peak is during spring from March to mid June and accounts for 80 percent of all fires. Fires start in late March and early April, immediately after snow melt when forest fuels are drying rapidly on southern- and western-facing slopes. Intensive solar radiation removes water from the topsoil by evaporation, and the remaining water flows from elevated sites downhill and accumulates in depressions because it cannot penetrate deeply into frozen soils. Spring fires are thus most common in stands on these elevated dry landscape elements and in those where herbs and small shrubs form a loosely compacted living ground cover layer. The other fire peak falls within a short period in autumn from September to October and accounts for 5 to 8 percent of all fires.

Steppe fires often invade the adjacent forest-steppe and sub-taiga zones. High fire danger is largely due to the prevalence of light-needled conifers in stands adjacent to steppe areas. These are mainly pine stands with mixed herbaceous ground cover, which are characterized by high fire danger in spring and autumn. In the mountain forest belt, especially in the high elevations, lightning fires are most common. Lightning storm activity increases considerably at the end of May and in early June. However, lightning fires are more rare in larch and Siberian pine stands of the mountain taiga (Chuluunbaatar, 2001).

Wildfires constitute a major factor that determine spatial and temporal dynamics of forest ecosystems. Out of the total of ca. 17.5 million ha of forest land, 4 million ha are disturbed to varying degrees either by fire (95 percent) or by logging (5 percent). In one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, it is difficult to get accurate data on fire causes (Goldammer, 2002). It is known, however, that during the main fire seasons no natural fire causes exist. The recent increase in the number of fires per year is related to the opening of markets once highly controlled or restricted. The vast majority of fires are not deliberately set to clear land; rather, it is a function of carelessness.

Fires start for three reasons: 1. Antler collection starts in the bitter cold of February when fire is simply a survival tool; 2. Sparks from vehicle exhaust pipes in remote forests; 3. Tracer bullets left by the Russian military have entered the game hunting market and are used to hunt elk for the blood antlers.

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Figure 3: Forest in Northeast Mongolia degraded by illegal logging and fire. Photograph 2007: GFMC.

Figure 4: Forest patterns in Northeast Mongolia are also shaped by past logging activities involving large-scale clearcuts and fire. Former pine-dominated stands are replaced by pioneers species such as birches and poplars. Photograph 2003: GFMC.

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Figure 5: The presence of remnant mature trees and regeneration is indicating that the denuded, grass-dominated mountain lands of Nothern Mongolia are potential forest sites. The regeneration is killed by recurrent grass fires. Photograph 2003: GFMC.

Figure 6: Open pine forests with limited impacts of illegal logging are quite resilient to frequent surface fires. The recurrent surface fires reduce the fuel loads and leave behind a forest in which the risk of high-intensity and high-severity is reduced. Photograph 2003: GFMC.

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The current fire pattern is affecting 14 percent of this resource annually. The short growing season and low growth capacity of the trees means that these damaged forests may take 200 years or more to regenerate and develop to a state comparable to the situation before the outbreak of fire. In addition to their commercial value, the forests are a precious ecological resource. They contain the sources of virtually all rivers in the country including the inflow to Lake Baikal (Russia), the largest fresh water lake in the world. They protect soil, rangelands, provide habitat for wildlife and serve as windbreaks. Figure 3 shows the area damaged by fires in Mongolia for the previous 25 years.

Forested areas damaged by fire (per 1000 ha)

2500

2000

1500

0

1000

Area / per ha/ 1000

500

0

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 year

Figure 7: Forested areas damaged by fire from 1980 to 2005. Source: GFMC database; Bayartaa (2006)

It becomes clear that after 1995 when the transition restructuring of economy was at the full swing and management abilities of the government were weakened, the area damaged by fires had increased. In addition, winters and springs from 1996 to 1998 were extremely dry and were lacking snow in most areas of the country. From late February to early June of these years, Mongolia suffered from large- scale forest and steppe fires that devastated large parts of the country. During these fire episodes 29 people died, 82 people were injured and 11 700 livestock were killed. Also, 218 family houses, 1 066 communication facilities, 750 fences and 26.3 million ha of pasture and forest burned. The total costs of property losses amounted to 820.2 million MN¥ (Mongolian Tughrik). Ecological and economical damage were estimated as 1 850.5 million MN¥ (December 1999 value: ca. $US 1.8 million). Despite new laws and regulations since then, the average data on damage by forest fires has been far greater over that in the earlier decades.

4.2 Mongolian Fire Management Organization

In 1969 the Mongolian Fire Protection and Aerial Patrol Service was established to provide early detection and rapid initial attack on fires, based on a Soviet-style aerial detection and airborne firefighting program. The Service was staffed by 200 to 300 and helicopter rappellers, including a fleet of helicopters for and tactical aerial support. The aerial forces operated out of seven bases distributed throughout the fire-prone regions of northern Mongolia. Smokejumpers on routine aerial patrols detected a high percentage of the fires and handled approximately 90 percent of the suppression workload. In the early 1990s, when the communist government and Soviet financial 59 support abruptly disappeared, the Mongolian aerial program sharply declined. At present, the country cannot afford to maintain and fly their aerial patrol aircraft. The decline of the aerial program through the mid-1990s resulted in a “fire suppression void” and greatly contributed to the horrendous losses experienced in the 1996 and 1997 fires.

Immediately following the 1996 fires, Mongolia received assistance from international organizations. The German government initiated an Emergency Fire Aid project in the northern and eastern parts of the country between October and December 1996. In February of 1998, the German and Mongolian governments signed an agreement to start an Integrated Fire Management (IFM) project to be implemented over three years (1998-2000). A primary task of the project was the establishment of a fire management plan compatible with the protected area goals and the responsibilities of the local communities (Goldammer, 2002).

The Mongolian government has since been working to find long-term solutions to improve fire management. In a first step, the parliament passed a law designed to organize and improve firefighting efforts at all levels. The Law on Forest Fire Prevention and Control of 1996 provides detailed requirements for the setting up of forest fire prevention and control organizations at local and central levels. In support of the state’s responsibilities in the area of forest fire prevention and control, the owners / managers of forest and other land have the following responsibilities:

• They are required to provide professional technicians or forest rangers to patrol and protect forests • They must control the use of fire within their areas • They must undertake fire prevention measures as required

The law shall also regulate civil and criminal penalties for violation of provisions in the law, or causing fires, or creating a risk of fires. These provisions and their efficient implementation are very important to the conservation of the forest environment.

Emergency Response Organization: The State Emergency Commission is chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and has overall responsibility for dealing with a fire emergency situation. This commission consists of representatives from all the ministries. The Chief of the Civil Defence Committee is the Deputy Chair of the State Emergency Commission. The mission of the Civil Defence Committee is to protect human lives and properties from natural disasters. In a wildfire emergency situation, the Civil Defence Committee is responsible for all operational aspects of fire suppression efforts.

The provincial branches of the Civil Defence Committee do not have full-time employee staff. Civil Defence representatives are in a reservist status and are activated in a civil defence capacity only in the event of an emergency incident. The Civil Defence organization includes approximately 200 smokejumpers based in seven northern provinces. It also includes approximately 100 specialized rescue personnel who are trained firefighters.

In response to an emergency fire situation, the State Emergency Commission must declare a state of emergency. Special coordination groups will be established in local areas impacted by the fire situation to direct suppression efforts and provide humanitarian relief as needed. During the fire emergency in last 40 years the military and police forces were mobilized to fight the fires as numerous local people. Border troops near Russia were also mobilized. All available resources were mobilized in the fire suppression effort, which on a daily basis ranged from 3,000 to 10,000 firefighting personnel and from 1,000 to 3,000 vehicles. Local individuals were conscripted to fight fire and were organized in crews under the leadership of military personnel or other officials.

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Figure 8: Northern Mongolian “moonscape” – a result of accelerating illegal exploitation and fire. Photograph 2007: GFMC.

Figure 9: Investigation of a truckload of illegally cut timber. Photograph 2007: GFMC.

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Figure 10: The local economy of many Soums in Mongolia’s North is dependent on illegal logging and sawn timber production – economies that are fragile and not sustainable. Photograph 2007: GFMC.

Fire-Station of National Emergency Management Agency

Action Direction of the Fire-station: It directed to implement the Law on the fire fighting and emergency, keeping the safely situation of the population, State, organizations and enterprises and to sustain the economical development of the State.

Monitoring department on the fire fighting and prevent: Nowadays, department of the fire analysis of the Fire-station under the State Emergency reaching to the hot point of the fire and detecting the reason of the it in the centre or local place as soon as possible. It analyzes the sample materials from the fired place. They research all the fire criminals, its reason and situation in the State for each month, season and year. Also they work on chemical, electric and heating analyses of substance and materials, which send by citizen, organizations and enterprises.

When there will be fire the heating transition reacts with water and it secretes poisonous substances to human health. Now they are working on the research of poisonous substance and materials.

Prioritization Criteria for Resource Commitments: Priority fires for the limited suppression resources were determined based on the fire's proximity to population centres and threat to National Parks and Strictly Protected Areas. Due to the limited resources available and the number and magnitude of active fires, it was determined that some remote fires would have no suppression activity.

Intelligence Gathering: The Ministry of Nature and Environment maintains a very modern Information and Computer Centre that compiles environmental data. This includes meteorological, water quality and pollution data.

Among a number of earth observation sensors the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series satellites are used. They are used for monitoring the development of natural disasters, 62 such as wildfires, floods, as well as meteorological phenomena, etc. There are four major advantages of using NOAA series satellites for fire detection and fuel mapping (early warning) (Erdenesaikhan, 1999):

1. Spectral Resolution. The Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor on board of NOAA satellite acquires data in 5 spectral channels. The Spectral location of Channel 3 (3.55-3.93 µ) coincides with the radiation of maximum intensity from a black body with a temperature 780 to 800K, and is therefore well suited to the detection of elevated heat sources, which indicate the presence of active fires. Channels 4 and 5 (near-infrared channels) are located in the thermal infrared part of electromagnetic spectrum where all radiation is emitted by the earth surface according to its temperature and radiation and used for estimation of cloudiness, cold surface of the earth. Channels 1 and 2 are in visible and near-infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum where all radiation is reflected sunlight and widely used for estimation of vegetation cover. 2. Spatial Resolution. Resolution of AVHRR data is 1.1 km2. Although the resolution is rather low, due to very high sensitivity of the channel-3 to the hot sources, even 50 m long fire fronts can be detected in the steppe. Full (1.1 km) and lower resolution (4 km) data can be recorded and transmitted directly from the satellite in the High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) for selected areas of the world within a radius of 2 500 km from a receiving station. 3. Frequent temporal coverage. Currently, there are 2 NOAA satellites in complementary near-polar orbits, NOAA-12 and NOAA-14, one crossing over Mongolia at local solar times of approximately 07:30 and 19:30, and the other at 02:30 and 14:30. The orbital characteristics are such that with two satellites in operation, the possibility exits for twice daily and twice nightly coverage at any point in Mongolia. 4. Overpass time. The current afternoon, approximately 14:30 overpass time of NOAA-14 is the best available in terms of fire detection and monitoring in Mongolia

Large fires were detected by the Information and Computer Center (ICC) on 23 April 2006 on the base of satellite data (classification by the NOAA AVHRR) (http://www.fire.uni- freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/CentralAsia/CentralAsia.html). The images in Figure 4 show a time series of fires burning in 2006 in the foothills of the mountains that separate Russia (north) from Mongolia (south).

The recent fire danger situation in forest and steppe zones challenged staff of the National Remote Sensing Centre to test and improve their operational technology to quickly process and transfer fire locations and other data to disaster related and administrative organizations. Fire events are grouped in forest as well as other wooded and other land. During the wildfire emergency, fires are mapped daily using computerized satellite imagery. The fires are then numbered and listed by province and county with the latitude and longitude indicated for each. The map and list are sent daily to the Civil Defence Commission and the Ministry of Nature and Environment. Another service that the computer center provides are meteorological data for the Mongolian Hydrometeorological Service, Weather Modification Centre "Khuryn Shim".

Other fire situation intelligence data are gathered through information from the field. Generally, this information is two days old by the time it is received in Ulaanbaatar. There is no radio communication from the fires to the local command centres. Information from the fires is carried by people on horseback or vehicles to local command centres and then transmitted by telephone to Ulaanbaatar.

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29 April 2006

27April 2006

30 April 2006

Figure 11: Time series of fires from 27-30 April 2006. Source: Information and Computer Center Mongolia (2006)

5. Conclusions

This paper intended to highlight the overall situation of forest fires in Mongolia integrated in the biophysical and predominating forest-related socioeconomic conditions of the country. The current situation and prospects of fire management have been discussed. The following conclusions can be drawn:

1) For studying the relations of humans and wildland fires it is necessary to take into account the co- existence of nature and human society. There is a need to take into consideration the authority of traditions which were formed during centuries and not interfered by external factors for a long time. This, first of all, is attributed to agricultural use of fires, prescribed burnings, and the role of domestic animals in impacting on the landscapes. However, in combination of the existing customs with additional new knowledge it is possible to establish a functioning system of fire management.

2) For an institutional setting of fire management it is very important to understand that the solution of forest fires problems belongs not only to the government but to the civil society as a whole. It is very significant that forest fire protection becomes a vital necessity of every member of the society.

3) Various countries have developed policies, legislation and location specific strategies in wildland fire management and gained experience in implementation and enforcement. This experience should be shared with Mongolia. So, Mongolia could elaborate standardized protocols, agreements, command systems and methods for delivering to, or receiving assistance from other countries to suppress catastrophic fires. Besides clearly defined bilateral or multilateral agreements it will be important to utilize the Incident Command System (ICS) as a unified standard procedure for multinational 64 cooperation in wildfire incidents. Methods and dissemination of information on early warning of fire risk, and fire danger have also been developed in various countries and could be applied to Mongolia.

4) Guidelines are needed for the various user levels, ranging from practical guidelines for local fire managers to guidelines for land-use planning and policy development. Guidelines must consider the specific natural (ecological) conditions of wildland fire, as well as the social, cultural, economic and political environment.

These activities would help steps forward to train a new generation of highly qualified specialists able to contribute their own ideas and practices to create a more advanced management system in the field of natural resources management to provide for the sustainable development of the resources. A basis would be established to change the human behaviour, the attitude of authorities to urgent needs in the field of fire management to improve the ecological situation in Mongolia.

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Soo, Kuen Ing. 2000. Community-based Wildfire Management in Mongolia. International Forest Fire News No. 23, 57-60.

66

Tsedendash, G. 1998. Forest Ecological Features of Mongolia (momeo, unpubl.)

Tsogtbaatar. 2002. Forest Policy Development in Mongolia. M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, India, 16-19 July 2002.

Valendik, E. N.; Ivanova, G.A.; Chuluunbaatar, Z.O. 1998. Fire in Forest Ecosystems of Mongolia. International Forest Fire News No. 19, 58-63.

Ykhanbai, H. 2004. Final Technical Report of study project on: “Sustainable Management of Common Natural Resources in Mongolia”, IDRS-MNE.

Websites 1. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/CentralAsia/CentralAsia.html 2. http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Northeast-Asia/Northeastasia.html 3. http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/mn.htm 4. http://eobadmin.gsfc.nasa.gov/Newsroom/ 5. http://www.env.pmis.gov.mn/

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to GTZ and Hans R. Hoffmann, coordinator of "Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources" Program in Mongolia, Leonid Kondrashov, President of the Pacific Forest Forum, Russia, and UNEP/UNESCO/BMU 30th postgraduate training course on Environmental Management for Developing and Emerging Countries held at the Dresden Technical University, Germany.

IFFN Contribution by

Bayartaa Nyamjav German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) / Ministry for Nature and Environment "Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources" Programme Ministry of Nature and Environment Hydromet Bldg. Khudaldaany gudamj-5 Ulaanbaatar-210646 Mongolia E-mail: [email protected]

Johann Georg Goldammer Global Fire Monitoring Center Georges-Koehler-Allee 75 79110 Freiburg Germany E-mail: [email protected]

Holm Uibrig Technische Universität Dresden Institute of International Forestry and Forest Products Pienner Strasse 7 01737 Tharandt Germany E-mail: [email protected]

67

Fire Effects on Productivity and Community Dynamics of Mongolian Grasslands

1. Introduction

Steppe ecosystems cover 65% of Mongolia’s territory, of which 15.7% or 245,509 km2 are located in Eastern Mongolia. The vegetation in arid ecosystems is affected by grazing and fire (Florentine, 1999; Drewa and Havstad, 2001). Major ecological factors that effect on Eastern Mongolian steppe vegetation are livestock and fire. Although fire must be included as an evolutionary force in the development of communities, particularly those ignited by lightning, today’s fires are mainly caused by human activities. 60 to 80 major fires are recorded every year in Eastern Mongolia, that is, 80% of the total fires in Mongolia, affecting approximately 700,000 hectares of land annually (Natural Resources of Mongolia, 1998) (Figure 1).

12000000 160 152 140 10000000 9700000 126 118 120

8000000 7627800 100 89 88 6069745 6000000 83 79 82 80 71 74 5100000 67 4796918 65 65 4500000 59 59 60 4000000 53 56 47 Number of fires 42 2815400 41 36 40 Burnt area (hectar)

30 1877059 1871147 1783060

2000000 24 1465837 1225276 1118078 1063028 20 733195 700226 708660 718078 421404

10 285254 270000 205831 247432 217999 178327 173210 142881 53990 0 10928 0 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Burnt area Number of fires

Figure 1. Steppe fire statistics of Mongolia 1974-2002.

Figure 2. Location of the study site

There are many studies on the effects of grazing on grassland ecosystems. However, so far the fire effects on steppe grasslands of Mongolia had not yet been investigated. In other countries the effect of grazing and fire has been studied on grassland communities (Waser and Price, 1981; Kelt and Valone, 1995; Valone and Kelt, 1999; Ward et al., 2000; Drewa and Havstad, 2001; Westbrooke et al., 2005).

68

The role of prescribed fire and / or wildfire in promoting grass growth at the expense of woody vegetation has been well documented worldwide (e.g., Cook et al., 1994). A model was recently developed to predict the direct consequences of prescribed fire for most forest and rangeland types in the United States (Reinhardt et al., 1997). Generalizations about the response of herbaceous vegetation to fire are difficult to make because the fire environment and the vegetation are highly variable, as is their degree of interaction, i.e. vegetation production determines fuel loads which affects fire behaviour. Conversely, it appears that herbaceous vegetation production is related to fire behaviour (Bidwell and Engle, 1992).

Most rangeland communities are resilient to fire but significant changes in structure and composition may occur. Such changes are not due to fire alone because the interaction of grazing pressure and the rainfall regime before and after the fire determines the overall ecological impact. Grazing pressure can both affect and interact with the fire regime by reducing the quantity of fuel and by changing the plant species composition (Noble et al., 1986). Because fire is often deliberately applied to increase nutritious grass production, the grazing treatment applied immediately after fire might be critical in determining the path of plant succession in these situations (Danckwerts and Adams, 1992).

Therefore, it is necessary to conduct detailed research to determine the specific fire effects on the Mongolian steppe grasslands. This paper addresses the fire effects and the combined fire and grazing effects on steppe vegetation structure and composition, and the aboveground community biomass in Mongolia.

2. Materials and Methods

The objective of the study was to determine the fire effects on the steppe vegetation.

2.1 Study Site and Field Sampling

The study site is located in Tumentsogt soum, Sukhbaatar province (112°24’187’’N, 47°40’788’’E), which is 500 km south-east from Ulaanbaatar at an altitude of 927 m a.s.l.. This is site has most preserved eastern Mongolian steppe features with its high grass and high frequency of fires.

The region is characterized by temperate semi-arid continental monsoon climate. Annual mean precipitation is 230 mm, mainly from June to September. The annual mean temperature in this area is 0.5-0.6°C and the average annual wind speed is 3-4 m/sec (Batdelger et al., 2001). The soil type is chestnut. The vegetation in the study area is a typical tallgrass steppe, dominated by Stipa grandis – the most widely distributed grassland community in the eastern Eurasia steppe region. Subdominants are this community are Leymus chinensis, Cleistogenes squarrosa and Stipa sibirica. In the study site 72 vascular plant species in 54 genera and 26 families are found.

Data collection during the steppe research was conducted in 2001-2003. Two study sites were established, each 100x100 m. One site was been fenced in June 2001 for evaluating fire effects only. The other site was not fenced in order to evaluate fire and grazing effects. Within each site 5 sub-plots were established. In summer 2001 data were collected on all 10 plots that were subjected to moderate grazing. The plots were not burned, i.e. all plots were in the same condition (Figure 2).

In the following spring and autumn fire seasons experimental fires were ignited to burn all plots.

69

Table 1. Study plots by different variations of grazing and burned

Plot Situation Situation of Plot Situation Situation of Designation of grazing burned Designation of grazing burned NGS-1 none burned in the spring GS-1 grazing burned in the 2002 spring 2002 NGA-1 none burned in the GA-1 grazing burned in the autumn 2001 autumn 2001 NGS-2 none burned in the spring GS-2 grazing burned in the 2002 and 2003 spring 2002 and 2003 NGA-2 none burned in the GA-2 grazing burned in the autumn 2001 and autumn 2001 and 2002 2002 NGC none none GC grazing None

We collected data between 1 and 10 July in 2001 and 2003 using the line-point transect method (three 25-m line transects for each plot). Every 25 cm data were taken and the coverage of species was determined every 5 m along the transect. Aboveground biomass was sampled during 10-15 July each year by clipping all plants within a 0.25 m2 quadrate, dried and weighed. The dry mass per quadrate averaged over the eight blocks was used to estimate the aboveground community biomass.

2.2. Data analysis

The differences in total vegetation coverage, litter, bare ground, aboveground biomass of community, coverage of three-year-old dominant species were compared on 10 plots using the Microsoft Access programme.

3. Results

3.1 Coverage

Figure 4 shows that in 2001 when all plots were in the same condition (grazing and unburned) vegetation coverage was higher in GC and GA-2 plots. In 2002, after one site was fenced and plots were burned by different treatments (Table 1) the situation changed. Vegetation coverage was higher in the fenced site than on the grazed site. In the fenced site vegetation coverage was 65.1% of the control plot. In the burned plots the vegetation coverage was 53.1-56.1%. Also in the grazed site vegetation coverage was higher on the control plot than on the burned plots. Highest vegetation coverage was found in the NGC plot (no grazing and no fire).

In 2003, the vegetation coverage decreased in all plots. The main reason for this was that this year was dryer than 2002.

The following results show the comparison of plots in 2003. In the fenced site the vegetation coverage was lower than the NGS-2 and NGA-2 plots that had been burned twice, and higher in the NGC, NGS- 1 and NGA-1 plots that were either unburned or burned once. In the grazing site vegetation coverage was lower than on the fenced site. However, the same principles were found when comparing to the other plots. Figure 4 shows that the coverage of the GC plot was lower than NGC, but similar results in the NGS-2 and NGA-2 plots.

70

Our results show an inverse correlation between litter coverage and bare ground. After fire the litter disappeared and the bare ground cover increased. The lowest mean of bare ground is 13.6% in the NGC plot and the highest mean is 59.1% in the GS-2 and GA-2 plots (grazing and burned twice). Bare ground was increased 3-fold after burning once and 3.8 fold after burning twice. Comparing bare ground of control plots in non grazing sites with grazing showed a 1.3 fold increase. In the grazing site bare ground was increased 2-fold after burned once and 2.6 fold after burning twice. Litter was highest in the NGC plot (32.4%), i.e. 1.3-fold higher than in the GC plot and 2-fold higher than the NGS-1 and NGA-1 plots.

South

East West

NGS-1 NGS-2 North

NGA-1 NGA-2

NGC

Fenced study site (100 m X 100 m)

Frame of photo 50 cm X 50 cm

33 m 15 m 3 6 m 2 5 m 1 25 m

33 m

Frame for sampling biomass (50x50 cm)

Transect

Frame for determining species cover (50x50 cm)

Figure 3. Scheme of the fenced study site

71

a/ 70 b/ 40 60 35 50 30 25 40 20

30 15 20 10 10 5 0 0 GC NGC GS-1 GA-1 GS-2 GA-2 GC NGS-1 NGA-1 NGS-2 NGA-2 NGC GS-1 GA-1 GS-2 GA-2 NGS-1 NGA-1 NGS-2 NGA-2

Figure 4. Total coverage of Stipa grandis c/ 70 60 community (a) vegetation cover (%), (b) litter 50 cover (%), (c) bare ground (%). 40 30 20 10 0 GC NGC GS-1 GA-1 GS-2 GA-2

NGS-1 NGA-1 NGS-2 NGA-2

2001 2002 2003

We determined the coverage of all species of this community. In this paper we considered dominant species. We found fire effect on the coverage of species steppe community.

Figure 5. Plots NGA-2 (burning) and NGC (no burning), in different variation of burned 72

Stipa grandis P. Smirn. is a perennial firm-bunch grass of Gramineae that is dominating the typical steppe ecosystems of Mongolia. Coverage of Stipa grandis was reduced 1.5- to 2-fold after burning twice (NGS-2, NGA-2); coverage increased one year after burning once (NGS-1, NGA-1) in the fenced site (Figure 6a). In the grazing site coverage of Stipa grandis decreased in all plots. However, after fire the population of Stipa grandis recovered. The fire reduced senile plants, and newly sprouting plants increased (Tuvshintogtokh, 1997).

Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel is a perennial rhizome-grass and subdominant in this community. Its vegetative buds are located deep in the soil and are not damaged by fire. The vegetative regeneration is good. Figure 6 (b) shows that the coverage of Leymus chinensis increased after fire. In 2002, the coverage increased in all burned plots and not in unburned plots (NGC, GC).

14 a/ 18 b/ 16 12 14 10 12 10 8 8 6 6 4 4 2 2 0 0 GC GC NGC GS-1 GS-2 GA-1 GA-2 NGC GS-1 GS-2 NGS-1 NGS-2 GA-1 GA-2 NGA-1 NGA-2 NGS-1 NGS-2 NGA-1 NGA-2

Figure 6. Coverage of dominant species c/ 70 60 (a) Stipa grandis (%) 50 (b) Leymus chinensis (%) 40 (c) Cleistogenes squarrosa (%) 30 20 10 0

GC NGC GS-1 GA-1 GS-2 GA-2 NGS-1 NGA-1 NGS-2 NGA-2 Cleistogenes squarrosa (Trin.) Kehg. is a 2001 2002 2003 loose-bunch grass and subdominant in this community. A recent study is indicating that the coverage of Cleistogenes squarrosa increased after fire (Figure 6c). In 2003, coverage of Cleistogenes squarrosa increased in NGS-2, GS- 2, GA-2 plots, decreased in NGC, GC plots and almost was not changed in the NGA-1, GS-1, GA-1 plots. The observations show that Cleistogenes squarrosa quickly regenerated by a large number of vegetative buds, although it is easily damaged by fire too.

3.2. Biomass

Our results show that in 2002 control plots (unburned) has high biomass compared to burned plots. On the contrary were comparing control plots each other biomass of no grazing plot has higher 1.5 times than grazing plot. In 2003, in the fenced site highest biomass is in the NGS-1 plot (1890 kg ha-1) and NGC plot (1720 kg ha-1). Biomass increased in plots that were burned once and not grazed (NGS- 1, NGA-1). Biomass decreased in other all plots. In the non-fenced site biomass of all plots are lower than in non-grazed plots and lowest (770 kg ha-1) of them is in the plots burned twice (GA-2) (Figure 7). 73

70 Figure 7. Total biomass of Stipa

60 grandis community

50

m 40

g/0,25 30

20 10

0 NGS-1 NGA-1 NGS-2 NGA-2 NGC GS-1 GA-1 GS-2 GA-2 GC

2001 2002 2003

4. Discussion

The effect that fire has on the soil and vegetation depends on the intensity of the fire. This intensity (I), in turn, depends on the heat yield (H), the availability of fuel (W), and the rate of spread (R) of the fire. This relationship is expressed by I=H x W x R (Byram, 1959). The rate of spread of the fire depends on wind speed, nature of the fuel, humidity, and temperature.

Our results indicate that after fire vegetation the coverage and biomass density of the steppe community decreased. In the following year the vegetation regenerated quickly. However, consecutive fires resulted in a constant decrease of vegetation coverage. It is observed that bare ground increased and soil moisture is due to this influence of fire. Water holding capacity is lower and evaporation is higher on burned plots than on unburned ones. Burned sites also have higher temperatures than unburned sites, due to the increased absorption of sunlight by the blackened soil surface. This is especially true in grasslands (Barbour, 1987).

After the fire plant species react differently regarding their regeneration, and this is caused by their specific bio-morphological types. Vegetative buds are of pivotal importance for branching and growth of sprouting plants (Munier-Jolain et al., 1996). The location of their root system, vegetative buds and their number were dependent on the increase or reduction of vegetation coverage. Soil surface temperatures in grassland fires reach about 120°C, and in soil 1-5 cm deep, there is a temperature increase of only 10-15°C above ambient soil temperatures (Barbour, 1987). So vegetative buds on the ground easily damaged by fire and vegetative buds under ground do not damaged. Our results show that Stipa grandis decrease and Leymus chinensis and Cleistogenes squarrosa increase after fire.

The root system of Stipa grandis is located near the surface and some vegetative buds are located near the surface too (Gorshkova, 1966). Thus, vegetative buds are easily damaged by fire. The difference between Stipa grandis and Cleistogenes squarrosa is the quantity of vegetative buds. Cleistogenes squarrosa has a large number of vegetative buds some of which are damaged by fire too. However, by virtue of their high number Cleistogenes squarrosa can regenerate quickly. Therefore the photosynthetic pathway of Cleistogenes squarrosa is C4. Pyankov et al. (2000) proved that the combination of C4 species is favourable to occupy very arid conditions (Pyankov et al., 2000).

Leymus chinensis has long, strong rhizomes and vigorous vegetative propagation. Its rhizomes lie horizontally about 10 cm below the soil surface and are highly branched. Reproduction is mainly by clonal propagation (Wang et al., 2004). Thus, vegetative buds of Leymus chinensis are not damaged by steppe fire and its vigorous vegetative propagation contributes to an increase of coverage.

Thus, there is a structural change the steppe plant community. A large number of Leymus chinensis grow instead of Stipa grandis under frequent fires every year. And by grazing effect Stipa grandis was decreased and Leymus chinensis and Cleistogenes squarrosa were increased too. As a result, the Stipa grandis community may change towards a Leymus chinensis-Cleistogenes squarrosa community as consequence of the effects of frequent fires and grazing in the Eastern Mongolia.

Our study evinced that the adaptations of grassland plants, most of with are hemicryptophytes, allow them to survive and even thrive in the presence of periodic fire. The fire environment provides a very 74 powerful selective force in the grassland. Mechanisms for survival in grasslands include increased reproduction from seeds as well as resprouting from perennial buds, which are protected at below the surface of the soil.

Besides this observation it has been noted that forests and meadow steppes were drying after fire and changing towards typical steppe ecosystems (Ochir, 1967). The succession stages of a burned pine forest include the Hamenerion angustifolium community, followed by birch forest (Betula spp.) and the pine forest climax community. If fires are tooo frequent (annually) the Pinus sylvestris forest will be develop to a meadow steppe community (Zoyo, 2000). Altogether it is evident that the long-term effects of frequent fires result in a xerophytic vegetation cover in which C4 species are becoming dominant.

Our results demonstrate that the combined effects of fire and grazing are effecting the grassland negatively. Consecutive fire had more negative effects on the steppe community as compared with grazing. Without grazing impact a single fire has positive effects on the steppe vegetation.

Acknowledgements

I. Tuvshintogtokh thanks the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Third World Academy of Sciences for the post-doctoral fellowship awarded to her for 2005. This study was supported financially by the Project of Conservation Biodiversity of Eastern Mongolia (UNDP).

References

Barbour, M.G. 1987. Terrestrial plant ecology. The Benjamin / Cummings, 634 pp.

Batdelger, D., Z. Batjargal, and N. Khishigjargal. 2001. Climate of Eastern Mongolian region. Ulaanbaatar, 46 pp. .

Bidwell, T.G., and D.M. Engle. 1992. Relationship of fire behavior to tallgrass prairie herbage production. Journal of Range Management 45, 579-584.

Byram, G.M. 1959. Combustion of forest fuels. In: Forest fire: control and use (K.P. Davis, ed.) 61-89. McGraw Hill, New York.

Cook, J.G., T.J. Hershey, and L.L: Irwin. 1994. Vegetative response to burning on Wyoming mountain- shrub big game ranges. Journal of Range Management 47, 296-302.

Dankwerts, J.E., and K.M. Adams. 1992. Dynamics of rangeland ecosystems. In: Proceedings of the Fourth International Rangeland Congress (A. Gaston, M. Kernick, and H.N. Le Houerou, eds .), 1066- 1069. Montpellier, France: CIRAD SCIST, 1279 pp.

Drewa, P.B., and K.M. Havstad. 2001. Effects of fire, grazing and the presence of shrubs on Chihuahuan desert grasslands. Journal of Arid Environments 48, 429-443.

Florentine, S.K. 1999. Ecology of Eucalyptus victrix in grassland in the floodplain of the Fortescue River. Ph.D. Thesis, Curtin University of Technology, WA, Australia.

Kelt, D.A., and T.J. Valone. 1995. Effects of grazing on the abundance and diversity of annual plants in Chihuahuan desert scrub habitat. Oecologia 103, 191-195.

Gorshkova, A.A. 1966. Biology of steppe grassland plants in the Zabaikal. M:Nauka, 274 pp. /in russian/

Guevara, J. C., C.R. Stasi, C. F. Wuilloud, and O.R. Estevez. 1999. Effects of fire on rangeland vegetation in south-western Mendoza plains Argentina : Composition, frequency, biomass, productivity and carrying capacity. Journal of Arid Environments 41, 27-35.

Munier-Jolain, N.M., B. Ney, and C. Duthion. 1996. Analysis of brunching in spring-sown white lupins (Lupinus albus L.): The significance of the number of axillary buds. Ann. Bot. (Lond.) 77, 123-131. 75

Munkhbayar S., Bayambasuren S., Tuvshintogtokh I., and B. Ariungerel. 1997. Flora and vegetation of strictly protected areas of Eastern Mongolia. Ulaanbaatar, 113 pp. .

Natural resources of Mongolia (National Report) 1998. Ulaanbaatar, 123 pp.

Noble, J.C., G.N. Harrington, and K.C. Hodgkinson. 1986. The ecological significance of irregular fire in Australian rangelands. In: Proceedings of the Second International Rangeland Congress (P.J. Joss, P.W. Lynch, and O.B. Williams, eds.), 577-580. Canberra, Australia: Australian Academy of Science, 634 pp.

Ochir, J. 1967. Fire effect on the vegetation mountain steppe. Proceedings of the Institute Biology, №2, 229-235.

Pyankov V.I., Gunin P.D., Tsoog S., Black C.C. 2000. C4 plants in the vegetation of Mongolia: their natural occurrence and geographical distribution in relation to climate. Oecologia 123, 15-31.

Reinhardt, E.D., R.E. Keane, and J.K. Brown. 1997. First Order Fire Effects Model: FOFEM 4.0, user’s guide. General Technical Report INT-GTR-344. Odgen, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, 65 pp.

Tuvshintogtokh, I., and Ch. Chuluunbaatar. 2003. Fire effect on the steppe ecosystem of Eastern Mongolia. 3rd International Wildland Fire Conference and Exhibition. Sydney. 285.

Tuvshintogtokh, I., and M. Urgamal. 2004. Fire effect on the steppe community of Eastern Mongolian grassland. Ulaanbaatar, 41 pp.

Valone, T.J., and D.A. Kelt. 1999. Fire and grazing in a shrub-invaded arid grassland community: Independent or interactive ecological effects. Journal of Arid Environments 42, 15-28.

Ward, D., D. Saltz, and L. Olsvid-Whittaker. 2000. Distinguishing signal from noise: Long-term studies of vegetation in Makhtesh Ramon erosion cirque, Negev Desert, Israel. Plant Ecology 150, 27-36.

Waser, N.M., and M.V. Price. 1981. Effects of grazing on diversity of annual plants in the Sonoran Desert. Oecologia 50, 407-411.

Westbrooke M.E., S.K. Florentine, and P. Milberg. 2005. Aridland vegetation dynamics after a rare flooding event: influence of fire and grazing. Journal of Arid Environments 61, 249-260.

Zengwen Wang, Linghao Li, Xingguo Han, Ming Dong. 2004. Do rhizome severing and shoot defoliation affect clonal growth of Leymus chinensis at ramet population level? Acta Oecologica 26, 255-260.

Zoyo, D. 2000. The change shrub-herb layer in Larch and Pine forest by fire and logging effects. Ulaanbaatar, 26 pp. .

IFFN contribution by

Tuvshintogtokh Indree Urgamal Magsar Department of Vegetation Ecology Department of Flora and Plant Systematics Institute of Botany, Mongolian Academy of Institute of Botany, Mongolian Academy of Sciences Sciences Jukov Avenue 77 Jukov Avenue 77 Ulaanbaatar 210351 Ulaanbaatar 210351 Mongolia Mongolia

Tel: +976-99272622 Tel: +976-99845930 Fax: +976-11-451837 Fax: +976-11-451837 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected]

76

VIET NAM

Fuel Assessment and Fire Prevention in Pine Plantations during the Tending Stage in Dalat, Lam Dong Province, Viet Nam

Summary

This paper presents some findings on the structure and dynamics of the grass cover under three- needled pine plantations in the tending period from 1 to 4 year old. Twenty-six species of grasses and herbs including both annual and perennial plants were found in these plantations. Dynamics of the green and dried biomass and the moisture content of the materials during the tending period were analysed. An Inflammability Index (k) was then used to form the basis for the grass cover management. The appropriate tending period for pine plantations in Lam Dong province is from August to September. A set of recommendations in for pine plantations and natural forests in Lam Dong province is also provided.

1. Introduction

Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon, a fast-growing, coniferous species, has natural distribution in South- east Asia (Pham 1999). In Vietnam, the species is indigenous to Dalat, Lamdong, from an altitude of 1000 to 1800 m a.s.l.. In planting pine forest for any purpose, forest fire is always considered as a main factor causing remarkable damage to plantations. The weight and property of fire materials available to fire (available fuels) provide the essential conditions for the characteristics and impacts of a forest fire (Johnson and Miyanishi 2001). Therefore, research of combustible materials under pine forest canopy for proposing the effective measures of fire prevention become the issue which is concerned by managers as well as scientists.

The concept of combustible material targeted in this paper includes organic material ready to be oxidized. Previous research have divided fuels into the main following groups: (1) Cured grass cover (2) Decayed organic matter, peat, and oil plants (3) Living grass and shrubs (4) Sprouting plants (5) Fallen trees, branches (6) Harvest residuals (branches, tree tops and stumps) (7) Living saplings

Groups (3); (4) and (7) may serve as fire-preventing fuels. However, these factors change in the course of the development of the plantations and between the seasons of the year. This study contributes to evaluate the dynamics of fuels in P. kesiya plantations using different controlled burning methods combined with silvicultural methods.

2. Object and Methods of Research

The research was implemented in vegetation cover of 1-4 year old P. kesiya plantations in Tanung commune, Dalat city, Lamdong province, and several surrounding areas. Methods of evaluating the constitution and structure of vegetation cover will be applied to identify characteristics of fire material in pine plantation in the period of tending. Four methods of processing fore material are applied as follows: - Controlled burning - Controlled burning in rows - Controlled burning combined with tending - Controlled burning combined with tree spacing

77

3. Results and Discussion

3.1 Fuel characteristics in P. kesiya Plantations

3.1.1 Grass cover

The composition of grass species in the fuel layer in P. kesiya plantations is provided in Table 1.

Table 1. Constitution of grass species in fire material

# Family Scientific name Vietnamese name Remark

1 Poaceae Cybopogon annamnensis Sa Trung bo Perennial 2 Panicum previpolium Co Ong Perennial 3 Ischaeum aristatum Mom Nau Annual 4 Bothriochloa pertusa Huyet thao Lo Annual 5 Microstergium vagans Vi Phuong lac Perennial 6 Eulalia velutina Cat Vi Long Perennial 7 Erianthus tustigiatus Mao Phuong Annual 8 Imperata cylindrica Co Tranh Perennial 9 Arundinela setosa Truc tham long Perennial 10 Pennisetum alopecuroides Co duoi Perennial 11 Hemarthria protonsa Ban Tiet Trai Annual 12 Themeda caudata Lo Duoi, Co phao Perennial 13 Poa annua Sp Annual 14 Thysanolaena maxima Dot, Chit Perennial 15 Aristida cumingiana Ba Chia. Perennial 16 Eragrostis nigra Tinh Thoa Den Perennial 17 Zoysia tenuifolia Co Long Heo Perennial 18 Pennisetum lopecuroides Duoi Voi Tim Perennial 19 Cyperaceae Carex nemostachys Kiet Mo Phu Annual 20 Carex perakensis Kiet Thanh Annual 21 Cyberus latespicatus Cu Gie Rong Annual 22 Seleria exigua Cuong Nho Annual 23 Asteraceae Eupatorium odoratum Co Lao Annual 24 Gynura pseudochina Co Tau Bay. Annual 25 Anaphalis adnata Bach Nhung Con Perennial 26 Pteridoideae Pteridium aquilinum Duong Xi Perennial

Remarks: In the investigated areas 26 grass species belonging to 4 families constituting combustible materials are found. These species are mainly belonging to the Poaceae family. Some species are perennial, others are annual. In addition, the constitution of vegetation cover under pine plantation canopy consists of a small proportion of broad-leaved shrub species.

Discussion: The surface fuels in P. kesiya plantations during the tending period are mainly grasses. The diversity of species with their different biological characteristics, e.g. different seasonality of growth and curing, result in a non-uniform development of fire risk and fire hazard. The presence of freshly-grown grass species intermixed in cured grass layers is contributing to a decreased ignition risk and fire hazard.

78

Figure 1. Surface fuels in natural, relatively open pine stands (Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon) in the highlands of Viet Nam are characterized by grass cover. Under moderate fire weather conditions a surface fire would cause limited damage to the pine overstory.

Figure 2. Young pine regeneration intermixed with grass fuels are at high risk of destructive wildfires. 79

3.1.1 Fuel structure

The result of studying the structure of vegetation cover in 1-4 year pine plantation is shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Structure of vegetation cover in 1-4 year pine plantation

Year Level of H M1 m1 m2 M2 W0 Abundance (m) (kg ha-1) (kg ha-1) (kg ha-1) (kg ha-1) % 1 Cop 1 0.62 6288 1783 4505 3375 51.3 2 Cop 2 0.91 11538 6190 5348 7260 37.10 3 Cop 2 0.95 13672 8580 5092 9714 31.8 4 Cop 2 0.93 14022 9115 4907 10085 28.1

Note: H = Height of dominant grass layer -1 M1 = Weight of dry and living grass (kg ha ) -1 m1 = Weight of dry grass (kg ha ) -1 m2 = Weight of living grass (kg ha ) M2 = Weight of dry and living grass after desiccating W0 = Moisture content of combustible material (fuels) (%) = (M1-M2) / M1

Remarks: The height of the dominant grass layer reaches up to 0.62 m in the first year and up to more than 0.9 m in the second year. Total weight of material (M1), weight of dry grass (m1) and weight of dry and living grass after desiccating (M2) tend to increase year by year. However, the weight of living grass almost has no change and relative humidity of material appear to decrease when the year of plantation increases.

Discussion: - The more weight of dry grass (m1), the higher are risk and hazard of forest fires; and the more weight of living grass, the less risk of forest fire. - In plantations after tending, the vegetation cover has been cut leading the increase of dry grass. That means at that time M1 will be equal to M2 and the fire risk and hazard are highest. - The moisture content of the material depends not only on weather but also the presence of perennial grass species. - Studies on fuel structure and dynamics will be the foundation for determining the relationships between the parameters m1, m2, M1, and M2. Based on these relationships and the level of abundance effective measures of fire prevention will be determined.

3.1.2 Fuel loads and structure through the periods of plantation tending

Structure of fire material through the periods of plantation tending is presented in Table 3

Table 3. Structure of fire material through the periods of plantation tending

- Periods of M1 m1 M2 k = m1 / M1 h tb(m) Tending (kg ha-1) (kg ha-1) (kg ha-1)

20-08-98 11 000 3 150 7 850 0.29 0.61 20-09-98 11 750 4 875 6 875 0.41 0.58 20-10-98 11 573 5 250 6 325 0.45 0.40 18-01-98 11 225 7 700 3 525 0.70 0.05

Note: M1 = Total weight of material (dry + living) -1 m1 = Weight of dry material (kg ha ) -1 m2 = Weight of living material (kg ha ) k = Inflammability Index h tb = Mean Height of vegetation cover after tending

80

Remarks: - Through the periods of tending the total fuel weight does not show considerable differences thanks to the replacement of living fuel cover -1 -1 - The weight of dry material increases gradually from 3150 kg ha to 7700 kg ha -1 -1 - The weight of living material decreases gradually from 7850 kg ha to 3525 kg ha - The Inflammability index is always less than or equal to 1 and depends on periods of tending - The shorter the time for tending, the decreasing the mean height of living material (from 0.61m to 0.05m)

Discussion: The lower the Inflammability Index the less possibility of fire risk and hazard, and vice versa. The Inflammability Index becomes maximum after the vegetation cover is cut. The Index also increases in the year 4 of plantation when the weight of falling material increases.

The Inflammability index has been identified through experiments (Table 4).

Table 4. Inflammability index and fire risk derived from experiments

Inflammability Index Fire Risk <0.2 No fire 0.2-0.29 Little possibility of fire 0.3-0.49 Possibility of starting fire 0.5-0.7 High possibility of fire >0.7 Very high possibility of fire

Apart from the Inflammability Index k, fire also depends on other factors such as the contacting time of fire material to fire, temperature, speed of wind, direction of slope. However, the Inflammability Index k can be useful for plantations, without applying the method of controlled burning of fuels, and in natural forests.

- In the rainy season, the grass species grow very fast. For both annual and perennial species, this is the only growing season of year. Once the cutting of vegetation cover is implemented in suitable time possibility for the recovery of plants will decrease and they can be replaced by other plant species. This is easier to happen for generative reproduction species. - For plant species sprouting from roots, the possibility for recovery is very high because of little competition with other species. The species with high recovery possibility will have less number of individuals than before cutting. However, in the dry season the weight of these species will be high thanks to the water content in the already existing root system. - Perennial species also recover. The species with the possibility of the strongest recovery include Co Tranh (Imperata cylindrica) and Rang Rang (Ormosia pinnata) due to their dense- woven, 20-30cm deep system of roots. - For grass species of dispersion by seed, when they are cut before their seeds are mature and ready for dispersion, the possibility of reproduction of these species is minimized. If this process of cutting is repeated for several years, these species can be excluded from constitution of vegetation cover under pine plantations and can be replaced by other grass species. - Through the experiment, some invasive species have been identified. A large number of dicotyledon grass species occur but the number of individuals of each species is low. However, some species become dominant after cutting, for example Co Lao (Eupatorium odoratum).

Table 5. Some dicotyledon grass species after tending

Scientific name Vietnamese name Eupatorium odoratum Co Lao Anaphalis adnata Bach Nhung Vernonia squanosa Bach Dau Long Gynura pscudochina Tau Bay Sericocalyx scaber To Dai Nham Polytrema anamensis Da Kim

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- The result of experiments shows that in the plantations tended in August and September the fuel weight is decreasing remarkably and the weight of living material is increasing, resulting in reduced forest fire hazard. Another factor contributing to the reduction of fire risk is the wrapping effect of living material cover over the layer of dry material resulting in a reduction of wind speed (and drying effect) in the cover of living material, at the same time increasing the moisture of the cover of dry grasses. - Tending plantations in August and September will also help raising the soil nutrient status due to decomposing of this organic substance. This is proven by the appearance of earthworm and termite nests.

However, the possibility of forest fire still exists, largely influenced by topography and weather. When the Inflammability Index k is small, the possibility of a fire to start and spread is limited if the wind speed is low and the direction of fire spread is downslope. When the wind speed is high and the direction of fire spread is upslope fires can happen but the damage is not very serious.

From the results mentioned above, some technical proposals for fire prevention combined with tending are as follows:

3.2 Fuel Management Methods

3.2.1 Controlled Burning

Based on the experience in other countries the use of controlled fire to reduce surface fuels and thus wildfire hazard (see De Ronde et al. 1990, Goldammer 1983). Besides observing general basic principles of applying controlled fire the following steps of implementation include

- Cutting vegetation cover on the whole area of plantation, drying out cut plants to a moisture content Wo = 13-15%; - Creating a firebreak surrounding the compartment to be burned; - Using fire preventing material to protect main trees (P. kesiya); - Choosing suitable time to burn material; - Protecting main trees by pruning and a surrounding fire line.

3.2.2 Controlled burning in rows

This method is the application of controlled fire between tree bands with space of 3.0. It facilitates the collection and burning of grass and fine fuels and reduces negative impacts on standing trees. Steps of implementation include:

- Cutting the whole or ¾ grass cover in the compartment of the plantation; - Cutting branches (pruning) close to the foot of trees; - Raking grasses and branches to rows between tree bands; - Burning them in appropriate time.

3.2.3 Controlled burning combined with tending

The results of the research mentioned above show dynamics of fire material through the period of tending. Concluding it is recommended to combine controlled burning with tending. Based on the changes in season, tending of the plantations in years 2 to 4 is recommended to be implemented in August and September. For plantations in year 1, tending should be implemented in October (1-3 months after planting). Steps of implementation include:

- In the first year tending should be implemented in October (1-3 months after planting); - In years 2 to 4: tending the plantations in August and September; - In year 2, weeding and creating a fire line around main trees (diameter: 1 m), and cutting the whole plantation surface, collecting cut plants and piling them on the middle bands for natural decay. In November and December, burning the rest of cut plants using the row-burning technique - In years 3 and 4, cutting the whole vegetation cover combined with cutting branches from 1/3 height of tree down to the foot of tree and doing next steps the same as in year 2. 82

Figure 3. A similar situation in a young pine stand in which the grass cover represents a high risk of destructive wildfires.

Figure 4. Setting a prescribed fire in a mature, open pine stand.

3.2.4 Controlled burning combined with tree spacing

The density and the method of tree spacing in forest plantation establishment is affecting the fuel dynamics through the period of tending. Currently, two popular methods of tree spacing are applied in Lam Dong province:

- Density of 2,200 trees/ha; line to line: 3.0 m, and tree to tree 1.5 m - Density of 1,666 trees/ha; line to line: 3.0 m, and tree to tree 2.0 m 83

These methods have considerable impacts on controlled burning in young pine plantation. In conclusion from the research the spacing of trees is proposed as follows:

- After burning the surface fuels whole vegetation cover, compartments should be divided into 9 metre bands with the length of bands equal to the length of compartments and parallel to contours. On bands, arranging 3 lines of tree with line to line 2m and tree to tree 1-1.5m - In each band, a smaller band about 5 m wide should be leaved for putting fire material - Other steps are similar to 3.2.3

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + 4 m + + + + + + + + + + + +(1.5 – 2 m) + +

9 m 5m

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Figure 5. Proposed spacing in pine plantation establishment

Figure 6. Creation of a fire break (black line) using prescribed fire. 84

Figure 7. Burning of a 3-m wide fire break (black line).

Figure 8. Successfully burned 5-m wide fire break.

4. Conclusions

Grass cover plays an important role in the structure of fire material of plantation. Dynamics of grass cover in the course of tending have considerable impacts on establishing an effective method of processing fire material for fire prevention in both plantation and natural forest in Lam Dong province. The result of this research identifies species constitution and changes in weight and moisture of fire material. On this foundation, some proposes in tree spacing, appropriate time of tending and methods of processing fire material aimed at increasing efficiency of forest fire prevention are presented. Application of these measures will contribute to increase quality of planting forests in Lam Dong province. 85

Figure 9. Successful burn under canopy of a mature pine stand.

Figure 10. Post-fire regeneration of the grass-herb layer in a mature pine stand.

86

References

De Ronde, C., J.G. Goldammer, D.D. Wade, and R. Soares. 1990. Prescribed burning in industrial pine plantations. In: Fire in the tropical biota. Ecosystem processes and global challenges (J.G. Goldammer, ed.), 216-272. Ecological Studies 84, Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York, 497 p.

Goldammer, J.G. 1983. Sicherung des südbrasilianischen Kiefernanbaues durch kontrolliertes Brennen. Hochschul-Verlag Freiburg, Forstwiss. Bd. 4, 183 p.

Johnson, E.A. and Miyanishi K. (eds.) 2001. Forest fires - Behaviour and ecological effects. Academic Press, San Diego.

Makarim, N., Yon Artiono Arba’i, A. Deddy, and M. Brady. 1998. Assessment of 1997 Land and Forest Fires in Indonesia: National Coordination. International Forest Fire News No. 18, 4-12.

Martell, D.L. 1996. Old-growth, disturbance, and ecosystem management: commentary. Can. J. Bot. 74, 509-510.

Phạm Hoàng Hộ. 1999. Cây cỏ Việt Nam. Quyển I, Nxb. Trẻ, TP. Hồ Chí Minh.

Pyne, S.J., P.J. Andrews, and R.D. Laven. 1996. Introduction to Wildland Fire. Second edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York-Chichester, 769 pp.

Wang, P.K. 2003. The physical mechanism of injecting biomass burning materials into the stratosphere during fire-induced . American Geophysical Union fall meeting. Dec. 8-12. San Francisco.

IFFN Contribution by

Eng. Le Van Huong Bidoup-Nuiba National Park 5E Tran Hung Dao Street, Ward 10 Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province Vietnam

Tel: +84-63-824800 E-mail: [email protected]

87

Research & Technology

Small UAS Demonstration by NASA and the US Forest Service

A USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center Briefing Paper 14 June 2006

Issue

This collaborative effort utilized a series of small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS’s) integrated with cutting-edge thermal imaging, autonomous flight control, and GIS-compatible technologies, to provide real-time images and analysis of forest fires.

Background

In November 2005, the two agencies issued a "Request for Participation" to the unmanned aeronautics community to provide suitable aircraft and imaging capabilities for a demonstration and capabilities evaluation. Six vendors were chosen from a field of 13 respondents. Of the six vendors who were issued invitations, four vendors were able to attend (3 for thermal image acquisition, 1 for communications relay). During the demonstration at Fort Hunter Liggett, the USFS was able to assess the systems capabilities and evaluate UAS’s for possible future inclusion into the day-to-day wildfire monitoring arsenal. Currently, the fire management agencies rely on both rotorcraft (helicopters) and fixed-wing aircraft equipped with thermal-detection devices to assess fire conditions on wildfire events.

Key Points

Fire-fighting teams will benefit from this emerging technology by having tactical assets capable of loitering over fire activity during the crucial times of sunset to sunrise or when other assets are not available (for reasons of crew safety).

Small UAS platforms, equipped with thermal imaging systems, can fill a critical niche in fire monitoring and mapping. Small UASs have long-duration capabilities, allow crew risk-reduction from hazardous operations found within major fires (blinding smoke, excessive wind sheer, and unfamiliar terrain), and should be less expensive than current systems.

Another technology showcased at the demonstration was a ground portable radar system developed by the UAS Collaborative (NASA-ARC Research Park). The Sense-and-Avoid Display System (SAVDS) was able to provide situational awareness capabilities for the LALE (low altitude, long endurance) UAS’s deployed at the demonstration. 88

The successful completion of this demonstration allowed for a careful assessment of capabilities, leading to follow-on testing and, potential integration and use of these technologies in the fire management community.

Figure 1. A panoramic photo of assembled observers, participating vendors, and two UAV aircraft taken by Fran Stetina (retired NASA) on 7 June 2006.

Summary

At this demonstration, we were able to successfully demonstrate the following:

1. Safety – All air and ground operations were conducted with safety as our main focus.

2. Day flights over fires – the four UAS systems were flown during the day out of line of sight, and loitered over the controlled burns set by the Fort Hunter Liggett fire crew.

3. Night flights over fires – Three of the UAS systems were launched and retrieved after dark, and each flew to and loitered over the for a period of 20 minutes. As in the day flights, the fires were out of line of sight from the airfield, and the aircraft flew autonomously to and from the fire locations.

4. Thermal image acquisition over fires – During the course of this demonstration, there were 6 sorties over actively burning fires. The three aircraft equipped with thermal sensors were able to locate the fires and accurately map the hotspots with GPS coordinates. One vendor provided a post incident map showing the location of thermal hotspots.

5. Real Time Tactical Imagery – All three thermal mapping aircraft were able to downlink the acquired imagery back to the ground stations at the airfield in real time. This capability provides situational awareness to the incident command which can be miles from the active fire.

6. Long duration flight – One aircraft flew continuously for a period of six hours to demonstrate the capability for long duration flight, and to demonstrate autonomous loitering over an area of interest.

7. Transpeater – One aircraft was equipped with radio transpeater equipment and successfully demonstrated the capability of acting as a “radio communications relay in the sky”. The crew on the fire was able to communicate directly with the assembled personnel at the airfield. Direct line of sight radio communications was impossible due to steep terrain between radios.

8. See and Avoid Display System (SAVDS) – The SAVDS system was deployed at the TUSI Airfield and was used to display the location of the UAS aircraft while in flight relative to other aircraft transiting the area. The ability to maintain aircraft avoidance is critical to the operation of UAS in the National Airspace.

89

9. Launch and Retrieval Capabilities – The aircraft selected for this demonstration were selected specifically to illustrate various means of launch and retrieval in less than ideal circumstances. The Vector P aircraft can be launched and retrieved on an improved surface. The Aerovironment Puma is hand launched and easily retrieved by flying the aircraft into a grassy field. The Insitu ScanEagle is launched by catapult and retrieved

10. Cessna Caravan / 12 Channel Overflights – During the course of the event, a manned aircraft (Cessna Caravan operated by Sky Research) equipped with a NASA designed 12 channel sensor overflew the controlled burns at a higher altitude to serve as a check of the thermal imagery provided by the UAS thermal sensors.

Table 1. Participating aircraft and the capabilities exhibited at the demonstration.

Vendor Aircraft Capability Intellitech Vector P Real time image acquisition Aerovironment Puma Real time image acquisition Insitu / Evergreen ScanEagle Real time image acquisition Advanced Ceramics Research Silver Fox Late withdrawal RnR APV3 Comm Relay

IFFN Contribution by

Vincent G. Ambrosia Senior Research Scientist / Adjunct Faculty Science and Environmental Policy California State University - Monterey Bay (CSUMB) Mail Stop 242-4 NASA-Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA. 94035-1000 U.S.A.

Tel : +1-650-604-6565 Fax: +1-650-604-4680 e-mail: [email protected]

Crisis Response Journal – A Quarterly Magazine with Contributions by the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks

2007-2010

First Overview Papers published 2007-2008

in depth

economic and environmental dimension of fi re in the Earth’s system, the gaps in Wildland fi res: Creeping and fi re management capabilities from local to global levels are evident. This situation and the expected trends are challenging the international community to address the sudden disasters – part I problem collectively and collaboratively. In recognition of the signifi cant impact of vegetation fi res on the global environment, economies and society, and the role of natural and anthropogenic fi re as an important factor in maintaining stability, biodiversity and functioning of some ecosystems, several international consultations during the 1990s, including the Second International Wildland Fire Conference (Canada, 1997), recommended that a group and mechanisms be formally established under the auspices of the United Nations to facilitate international co-operation in addressing global fi re needs.

intEr-AgEnCY PLAtForM agreements, including overall logistical, policy Fires in Indonesia, 2007: Creeping fi re disasters arise from a sequence In response to this recommendation and the and operational level considerations. Most of multiple fi res associated with other human stress factors imposed on need for implementing the strategic goals of the importantly, the Working Group initiated the ecosystems, such as land use and environmental pollution Dr Johann G Goldammer introduces this series, which will feature reports from the UNISDR UN Convention on Combat of Desertifi cation establishment of the UNISDR Global Wildland all photos: Brad Sanders, GFMC (CCD), the Convention on Biological Diversity Fire Network (GWFN) under which Regional Regional Wildland Fire Networks to provide readers with a world picture of the issues, myths (CBD), the UN Framework Convention on Wildland Fire Networks would play a key role Climate Change (UNFCC), and the Ramsar in developing partnerships and co-operation and truths behind wildland fi res across the planet Convention on Wetlands, the Global Fire in fi re management between countries. Monitoring Centre (GFMC) was founded in 1998, In 2003 the International Wildland Fire URING THE LAST DECADE THE land use, deforestation, desertifi cation, intensity and high-severity wildfi res, nowadays aimed at providing a global fi re monitoring Summit recommended principles and world has experienced a series of industrial development and fossil fuel referred to as ‘megafi res’, attract the most public system and an interface between the fi re science procedures for international co-operation in D extremely severe wildland fi re episodes emissions have created conditions that make attention. High-intensity fi res are the result community, fi re managers and policymakers. fi re management. Furthermore, the Summit which have been well documented by the media ecosystems and humans more vulnerable of high fuel loads, drought and extreme fi re This was followed by the creation of a recommended pursuing international policy and created widespread public concern. Two and less resilient to fi re. Extreme fi re weather weather and are often uncontrollable, even when dedicated international and UN inter-agency dialogue through the Regional Wildland Fire general assumptions seem to be accepted episodes have occurred over the last few using advanced high-tech ground and aerial platform under the auspices of the UNISDR. Networks organised under GWFN and co- publicly: That there is a trend of global increase years as a consequence of inter-annual fi re suppression equipment. High-severity fi res Following a proposal by the GFMC and the ordinated by the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory of occurrence and destructivity of forest fi res; climate variability. Land-use fi res and wildfi res have a deep impact on the ecosystem, owing World Conservation Union (IUCN), a Working Group (WFAG). In May 2004 the GFMC, the and this trend is a precursor or indicator of have been widely observed in ecosystems to intense burning of above and below-ground Group on Wildland Fire was established in UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), global climate change. A closer look reveals that were historically not considered to be biomass (trees, shrubs, herbs, humus layer, 2001 under the auspices of the UNISDR Inter- UNISDR and the Global Observation of Forest Wildland fi res are leading to the depletion of terrestrial carbon, thus that it is diffi cult to prove these assumptions fl ammable at all, such as tropical rain forests roots, organic soils such as peat), often as a Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction. and Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC/GOLD) constituting one of the driving agents of the disturbance of global as there is a lack of knowledge on the extent of or swamps and wetlands in most continents. consequence of drought and the long residence This Working Group was co-ordinated by the drafted a paper: Framework for the Development biogeochemical cycles historic fi res and no comprehensive and reliable time of the fi re, which allows it to consume all GFMC and was operational until 2003. of an International Wildland Fire Accord. database of contemporary vegetation fi res. Only MoMEntUM organic matter and destabilise the ecosystem. The Working Group provided an international Regional consultations in 2004 recommended with such data can it be proven whether we The incidence of fi res burning under extreme Creeping fi re disasters arise from a sequence platform and forum aimed at bringing together the development of informal partnerships, are currently experiencing a greater or lesser conditions and affecting previously non- of multiple fi res associated with other human the technical members of the fi re community joint projects and formal agreements between extent and destructivity of vegetation fi res fl ammable ecosystems may serve as indicator stress factors imposed on ecosystems, such and the authorities concerned with policies at government and non-governmental institutions than in historic times. Also, more quantitative of how the world would look in a scenario in as land use and environmental pollution national to international levels in order to realise that were essential to enable nations to develop and qualitative information is needed on the which climate change has gained momentum; which, together, are leading to progressive their common interests and commitments in fi re sustainable fi re management capabilities. occurrence of fi res in those ecosystems that a world in which extreme weather will impoverishment, degradation and destruction management on a global scale. The Working In 2004 the FAO and the WFAG/GWFN are either fi re-dependent or fi re tolerant. increase the likelihood of occurrence and of forests and other vegetation cover. Group looked at international collaboration, proposed the development of a non-legally Hundreds of millions of hectares of destructivity of vegetation fi res. It is expected Both types of fi res have one thing in capacity building and human resource binding International Wildland Fire Accord to tropical and subtropical savannas and that this trend will go along with post-fi re common – they are leading to the depletion development, and reviewed mechanisms to the FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests and open forests, as well as coniferous forests secondary disasters, notably those caused of terrestrial carbon, thus constituting one of support co-operation in forest fi re management the 17th Session of the FAO Committee on of the temperate and the northern boreal by extreme precipitation events – resulting in the driving agents of the disturbance of global at bilateral, regional and international Forestry, March 2005 (COFO 2005). Both the zones, are quite well adapted to natural and fl ooding, erosion, landslides and the general biogeochemical cycles, notably the global levels. It also examined the establishment of Ministerial Meeting and COFO 2005 rejected the even human-infl uenced fi re regimes. impoverishment of forests and other lands. carbon cycle. inter-country agreements aimed at sharing proposal of an ‘accord’. However, the ministers

There is growing evidence, however, that In principle there are two time dimensions of Although this trend is revealed by a wealth resources, personnel and equipment, and and forestry administrations called upon FAO, s the accumulated effects of population growth, wildland fi re disasters. The sudden-onset, high- of scientifi c knowledge on the cultural, social, the components of such inter-country in collaboration with countries and other

50 CRISIS | RESPONSE+ VOL 3 ISSUE 4 CRISIS | RESPONSE+ VOL 3 ISSUE 4 51 s international partners, including the UNISDR, to develop a “strategy to enhance international co- operation on wildland fires”, in order to advance knowledge, increase access to information and resources and explore new approaches for co-operation at all levels, as well as developing voluntary guidelines on the prevention, suppression and recovery from forest fires. In response, the FAO in 2006 co-ordinated the development of a Strategy to Enhance International Co-operation in Fire Management. The strategy is built upon four pillars: ■ Fire Management Voluntary Guidelines: Constitutes a code of conduct and ethics for sustainable and integrated fire management; ■ Review of International Co-operation in Fire Management: Provides a survey and proposals for international co-operation; ■ Fire Management Global Assessment: Provides a global analysis authored by the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Network; and ■ Fire Management Actions Alliance: An action-oriented endeavour to facilitate the use and promote the Guidelines and review At the International Wildland Fire Summit UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks: Australasia; Baltic; Caribbean; experiences from applying the Guidelines. a meeting was held with the regional fire Central Asia; Mediterranean; Mesoamerica; North America; North East The four elements of the strategy were management groups mandated under the Asia; South America; South Asia; South East Asia; Southeast Europe/ presented to the 18th Session of the FAO auspices of the UN (UNISDR Working Group on Caucasus; and Subsaharan Africa Committee on Forestry, March 2007 and Wildland Fire, ECE/FAO/ILO Team of Specialists to the Fourth International Wildland Fire on Forest Fire, Fire Management Working Group, regional networks contributed to the conference. Conference held in Seville, Spain, in May FAO North American Forestry Commission In six joint regional sessions the Regional 2007, and endorsed by representatives [NAFC] and the Forest Fire Group of FAO Wildland Fire Networks, representatives of the of government institutions and fire Silva Mediterranea). This was the first joint EC and other participants, discussed a self- management organisations respectively. meeting of the four UN groups. A key output assessment of the fire situation in the regions of the joint meeting was the recommendation and formulated recommendations for future Existing networks to maintain a body under the auspices of the action in the regions, as well as globally. As mentioned above, one of the priorities UN to enable the international community to In the following issues of Crisis Response addressed by the Working Group on Wildland maintain a unifying platform for the UN and Journal the co-ordinators of the 13 Regional Fire was the establishment of the Global jointly with non-UN groups and agreements. Wildland Fire Networks will provide Wildland Fire Network (GWFN). The concept To support the work of the GWFN, the contributions on the current situation of of GWFN was to identify or establish Regional UNISDR Interagency Task Force for Disaster their home region. The geographic scope Wildland Fire Networks, preferably based on Reduction (IATF) accepted the proposal to of the 13 regional networks is given in existing formal or informal networks structures create a Wildland Fire Advisory Group (WFAG) Figure 1. These reports will address the and initiatives. The envisaged timeframe for under the auspices of the UNISDR. The WFAG very specific fire problems, the approaches setting up the network was January 2002 – July represents an advisory body to the UN system in fire management typical for the region, 2003. The Third International Wildland Fire aimed at providing technical, scientific and and the bilateral or multilateral agreements Conference and the International Wildland Fire policy-supporting advice to the UN family in place to enhance co-operation in fire Summit were used as platforms to convene through the UN-ISDR and the IATF, and acting management specifically concerning mutual representatives from regional networks. as a liaison between the United Nations system, assistance during wildfire emergencies. CRJ The Strategy for Future Development of the GWFN and its supporting partners. International Co-operation in Wildland Fire The Fourth International Wildland Fire Author Management agreed by the informal summit Conference in Seville provided a major Professor Dr Johann G Goldammer is head of included the following recommendation: step forward in organising the GWFN. the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and “The Regional Wildland Fire Networks will The conference was attended by 1,531 professor for fire ecology at Freiburg University, be consolidated, developed and promoted participants from 88 countries. Germany, and the United Nations University through active networking in information Building on the outputs of the previous (UNU). He coordinates the UNISDR Wildland sharing, capacity building, preparation of International Wildland Fire Conferences, one of Fire Advisory Group. The GFMC, which facilitates bilateral and multilateral agreements, etc. This the major objectives of this Fourth Conference the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network, was awarded the UN process will be facilitated through regional was to provide a platform for a meeting of Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction in 2001. www.gfmc.org Wildland Fire Conferences and Summits.” all Regional Wildland Fire Networks. All 13

52 CRISIS | RESPONSE+ VOL 3 ISSUE 4 CRISIS | RESPONSE+ VOL 3 ISSUE 4 PB in depth

EGIONAL NETWORKING IN THE the beginning of 2007 there were forecasts to arson, although this is unoffi cial as area of wildland fi res in South East that these countries should expect a tough it is very diffi cult to prove. Also, there R Europe was initiated in Bulgaria 2002, fi re season but no one could have predicted are some peculiarities in this region Wildland fi res part II: and a UNECE/FAO conference in Turkey events such as were actually experienced. that should be emphasised. in 2004 spurred representatives from the The most affected country was certainly In some countries in the region, civil wars region into strengthening their collaborative Greece (see p20). According to the European have occurred, with long term consequences efforts. The year after, a regional forest fi re Forest Fire Information System, Greece has lost on these countries’ economies. Historically, Regional focus exercise was arranged and supported by the about 270,000ha of vegetation to fi res this year these events have also had a negative infl uence Global Fire Monitoring Centre (GFMC) and alone. The vast majority – 184,000ha – was on relations between countries, which is hosted by Bulgaria. The exercise involved burned in just four days, more than has been especially true for countries from the former Fire Service participants from: Albania; lost in any year since records began. Sixty- Yugoslavia, as well as the Caucasus region. Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Greece; eight people died in total; most were caught Many forest sites and non-forested lands Serbia and Montenegro; and Turkey. in the open trying to fl ee or were surrounded in the Balkan region are contaminated by land by fi re while trying to save their property. mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) from DAMAGE DONE More than 110 villages have been recent confl icts (particularly in Bosnia and Further meetings led to the creation of the destroyed leaving thousands of people Herzegovina and some parts of Croatia). In the Regional South East European/Caucasus homeless, surrounded by blackened land. Republic of Macedonia there is the threat of Wildland Fire Network (RSEE/CWFN), which has An independent estimate by the international UXOs left over from being triggered expanded its geographical scope over the years, assessment fi rm Standard & Poors puts and detonated. Most contaminated is the former with 2007 seeing the development of a strategy the damage in the range of €3 billion to €5 A burned area In Macedonia demonstrates high soil erosion potential line of contact of 1917 (between the Austro- for international co-operation. This strategy billion, corresponding to 1.4 to 2.4 per cent photo: GFMC Hungarian, German, Bulgarian and Turkish identifi ed thematic areas of co-operation of the country’s gross domestic product. forces in the north and the Antanta Union in including: terminology; statistical database; Other countries in the region were also the south), where large numbers of grenades information exchange; wildfi re prevention affected. In Croatia approximately 6,000 and mines are still threatening fi refi ghters and and use of fi re; early warning; detection wildland fi res occurred (ten per cent of civilians. The problem with land mines is very and monitoring; wildland fi re suppression; those in forests) and about 60,000ha were signifi cant in the Caucasus region as well. capacity building/training courses; policies; burned. There was a tragic situation when In addition, as a result of the long term legislation and strategies; and research. 13 fi refi ghters were surrounded by fl ames on transition processes in those countries The data for forest fi res in many of the the island of Kornati and were all killed. The some of the institutions responsible for countries within this regional network can damage has been estimated at €123 million. fi re protection have lost or decreased their sometimes be patchy, available only for some In Bulgaria the number of forest fi res totalled effi ciency. This has led to the lack, or very of the countries, and data is often interrupted. 1,478 and about 43,000ha were burned. The weak functioning, of a coherent system for This is a serious problem which is being Republic of Macedonia was also affected, with wildland fi re prevention and suppression. worked on and the RSEE/CWFN is planning to around 635 fi res, an area of about 35,000ha Furthermore this means that equipment update the database at the end of the year. ravaged, and estimated damage of €21 million. – especially vehicles (off-road vehicles According to the data that is available, the Serbia saw 258 fi res with about 33,000ha and fi re trucks) – in many countries number of forest fi res per year in the region of forest burned, and in Albania 1,123 fi res are older than 20 years and not suited from 1988-2004 varies, with the lowest number burned an estimated area of 12,000ha. to the terrain and conditions. recorded in 1991 (2,765 fi res – without data For fi re suppression, different kinds from Croatia). The highest number of forest of tools, special vehicles or aircraft were The Republic of Macedonia has fi re hazards from unexploded WWI AFTER EFFECTS fi res recorded is in 2000 (16,922 fi res). The used, depending on the country. This was ordnance So what are the consequences of these total amount of forest fi res over the given period the fi rst time that aircraft were used in photo: GFMC wildland fi res? The most important are: is 115,666. Turkey has the highest number such large numbers in the region, many of resulting in unprecedented loads of ● Huge economic losses; of recorded fi res and Slovenia the lowest. them being rented or deployed as aid from combustible materials, which caused the ● Large areas of deforestation; Over the given period the total burned area other countries. The international solidarity high intensity and severity of impacts, and ● Soil erosion; is 1,250,892ha. The average annual amount of expressed in terms of human resources and often made fi res almost uncontrollable; ● Creation of ideal conditions burned forest is 156,361ha. The largest burned equipment was, in many cases, a determining ● Improper behaviour of the people for insects and disease; forest area is recorded in Greece – 775,685ha. factor in being able to suppress the fi res. in the forests and other land ● Loss of amenities associated with According to this data, the most at risk Many countries sent aid, despite experiencing regarding fi re prevention; the burned vegetation; and countries in the region are: Greece; Croatia; large wildland fi res in their own territories, ● Hilly, mountainous terrain; ● Signifi cant land-use changes. Professor Dr Nikola Nikolov introduces the Turkey; Republic of Macedonia; and Bulgaria. as was the case with Turkey and Croatia, ● Highly fl ammable vegetation; And lastly, but most importantly, how can the However, this does not mean that the other showing that international collaboration ● Improper organisation and co-ordination of loss of human life be evaluated and expressed? Regional South East European/Caucasus countries in the network do not have problems. and resource sharing is the future of the institutions responsible for fi re protection; Apart from the above effects, two large This year will be remembered as one of the wildland fi re protection in the region. ● Improper tactics or equipment and severe wildland fi res in the region have Wildland Fire Network and its main activities in a hardest in the recent history of the region. Before Some of the contributory causes for fi re suppression; prompted the establishment of missions for to these fi res and the scope of their ● Improperly trained command staff; and environmental assessment of the affected areas. region where fi ghting wildland fi res is exacerbated A satellite image of Greece taken in August, severities and damages include: ● Lack of trained fi refi ghters and equipment, Many activities are planned for the

2007, shows the extent of fi re breakouts ● Consequences of the rural exodus and especially off-road vehicles and fi re trucks. future. One of them (as a mid-term activity) ▲ by the potentially lethal legacies of past confl icts photo: NASA Earth Observatory abandonment of intensive land cultivation A large number of fi res were put down certainly is development of a strategy on

CRISIS | RESPONSE+ VOL 4 ISSUE 1 55 in depth ▲ international co-operation in wildland ASSESSMENT MISSIONS fi re management in the RSEE/CWFN. The severity of the fi re season in the Balkan region this year was an expression of the accumulated societal, economical and environmental changes in the region – and this must be evaluated. Decisive action must be taken to address the underlying causes of extreme fi res and to reduce the increasing vulnerability of forests and society to fi re. The Balkan countries have recognised the inter-connectedness and interdependence of the natural space and efforts to protect it. As this article was being written, the autumn rains had begun – but this is no time for the region to go into hibernation.

SUMMIT NEEDED Rather, it is suggested that there is an urgent need for a regional Balkan wildland fi re crisis conference or summit, in which governmental commitment at the highest level should be sought. This summit should address the underlying causes of the increased threats of wildfi res to the environment and society, notably the consequences of land use change and In October 2006, the OSCE led an environmental assessment A ‘keep out’ sign warns of uncleared land mines climate variability. It should outline the need mission to determine the short and long term environmental in Nagorno Karabakh photo: GFMC for the development of national policies and impact upon fi re-affected territories in and around the strategies addressing land use, forestry and Nagorno-Karabakh region. The second mission was organised at the end of August forest protection, nature conservation and Everyone involved in the mission agreed unanimously that and the beginning of September this year in the Republic of fi re management. Furthermore, the summit the long, hot and dry fi re season of 2006 provided the perfect Macedonia. The mission was entitled: ‘Ecological Damage should work towards an agreement for conditions for large scale severe fi res on both sides of the line Assessment of the Wildfi res in the Former Yugoslav Republic strengthening fi re management capabilities of contact in this politically unsettled region. of Macedonia in 2007’ (Joint Mission by the UNEP-OCHA Joint in the region through standardised and joint The burned areas were extensive, with signifi cant impact Environment Unit, UNEP, UNDP and GFMC). The GFMC fi re regional training, as well as the introduction upon people, the economy and the environment. On both sides assessment mission team was confronted with the dramatic of improved technologies for wildfi re of the line of contact, fi res are a great concern, especially with social, economic and political changes in the rural space of suppression. The development of border- regards to the threat of fi re-triggered UXO detonations, and the Republic of Macedonia. Most visible during the mission crossing mechanisms and agreements on the mission was informed on how all available means were, were the consequences of the rural exodus. These included: mutual assistance in fi re emergency situations often unsuccessfully, used to try to stop the fl ames. ● A reduction in agricultural and pastoral activities; should be another topic on this agenda. The mission made recommendations on how to rehabilitate ● A reduction in the overall use of biomass; The GFMC, through the UNISDR the fi re affected areas and outlined actions and projects to ● An increasing size of fallow lands with bush and forest Global Wildland Fire Network and its prevent the recurrence of such fi res. These actions are based encroachment, the reduced utilisation of biomass regional network – the RSEE/CWFN – are on the view that environmental problems, including fi res, constituting an increasing availability and continuity of available to facilitate this process. ignore borders, confl icts and lines of contact and require the fuels available to wildfi res; CRJ co-operation of all actors concerned. ● Villages becoming over-aged and even completely In particular, joint capacity building and training in fi re vacated owing to the exodus of the young generation to UTHOR A management, fi re prevention and preparedness and fi re cities; and Professor Dr suppression are recommended, as well as regional enhanced ● A decrease in the availability of a young, active rural Nikola Nikolov is with co-operation on both fi re and water management issues, population ready to prevent and suppress fi res. the Faculty of Forestry in relevant regional and international frameworks. Other By evaluating the multiple and cumulative effects of human- in the Republic of recommendations relate to modernising equipment and fi re driven and natural developments on the vulnerability of the Macedonia and serves research. Recommendations are also made for short-term Republic of Macedonia to fi re, and the whole Balkan region as co-ordinator of the initiatives to be implemented immediately. respectively, it is concluded that highest political priority should UNISDR Regional South More fundamentally, the mission hopes its report will be given to strengthen the protection of forests against the East Europe/Caucasus Wildland Fire Network contribute towards building peace in a region where the 2006 increasingly detrimental impacts of fi re on ecosystem stability (www.fi re.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/ fi res added to the already considerable human, economic and and society in the country and its neighbours. Decisive action Balkan/Balkan.html) environmental cost of the confl ict. is needed urgently.

56 CRISIS | RESPONSE+ VOL 4 ISSUE 1 in depth Wildland fi res part III: Regional focus on north-east Asian Dr Leonid Kondrashov introduces the Regional North East Asia Wildland Fire Network and its main activities in an area where wildland fi res are increasing as a consequence of changes in societies and regional climate

AKING MANY OF THE GLOBAL which are four of the world’s 14 mega-cities. Agriculture, medical and edible crops, Over the last drivers of economic change into This dynamic region represents rapidly industrialisation accompanied by recent decade, the region’s consideration, the north-east Asian growing markets for consumer goods and economic growth, hiking, recreation and T countries have seen countries are currently developing as part of services, capital goods, and infrastructure tourism, etc, are the main causes of forest fi res. an increase in scale, one of the world’s major regions of economic construction expertise. The region’s role in Global warming also means a change in frequency and area growth. The primary sources of growth world trade is increasing at a rapid rate. The regional climate patterns. As a consequence, burned by forest fi re are Japan, South Korea and China. Should Asia-Pacifi c region generated more than 25 over the past decade, the region’s countries economic reforms and restructuring be per cent of the world’s merchandise exports have seen an increase in scale, frequency successful in Russia, it is likely that this country, in 2006, up from ten per cent in 1963 and and area burned by forest fi res. The effects too, will join these high-performing economies. 18 per cent in 1983. The northeast Asia on individual countries vary considerably. It is likely that North Korea alone will lag behind governments accumulate foreign currency However, there is economic damage with the for some time owing to its political system. reserves at an amazing rate. The region is also cost of fi re suppression, efforts to regroup North-east Asian countries generate about a magnet for attracting foreign investment. forces and attract volunteer fi refi ghters, 20 per cent of global gross domestic product. and achieving awareness of the general Together, Japan, China, and South Korea ENVIRONMENTAL PRESSURE public and national/local politicians. generate 85 per cent of the GDP of east and The signifi cant growth rate demands huge The negative effects of forest and wildland south Asia. They also represent 30 per cent volumes of raw materials, energy and water. This fi res continue to be a major issue in the region; of humanity. Communist China has 1.3 billion is leading to current environmental problems wildfi res infl uence the quality of life, land, air people; capitalist Japan has a population of that will worsen in the future. With increasingly and water. Unacceptable resource losses and more than 100 million; developing South Korea intensive land use, signifi cant degradation of the spread of transboundary pollutants need has 48 million inhabitants; and 22 million arable land will continue, as well as the loss of immediate attention by the north-east Asian people live in Stalinist North Korea. forests, and increasing air and river pollution nations and their international partners. If these The region is diverse in its culture by industrial and agricultural waste. Wildland negative effects are not fully addressed, they and beliefs. Currently, more than fi res losses will remain true to their established will result in the loss of sustainability of forests, 50 per cent of the population trends in affecting both nature and society. public health and economic opportunities in north-east Asia lives in The forests in the north-east Asia region The countries of north-east Asia are urban areas, among provide space for human occupation and a experiencing growing effects of wildland fi res basis for economic activities. Most wildfi res on their natural environments and on societies. in this region occur as In fi re-sensitive ecosystems, fi res contribute a consequence of to the degradation of the soil, water resources human activities. and biodiversity, endangering the sustainability and biodiversity of ecosystems. In the region, approximately 60 per cent of forests are concentrated in mountain regions which limits access and fi refi ghting. Every year the region experiences about 12,000 fi res, which burn no less than one million hectares. Individual nations are ▲ increasing their efforts

CRISIS|RESPONSE+ VOL 4 ISSUE 2 65 ▲ to manage fi res. However, the magnitude of international disputes and problems. the problem is requiring united efforts and The participants of the Regional Session international co-operation. The NEA countries urged authorities and international organisations intend to work together with the UN and other to provide the fi nancial and technical assistance international organisations, notably through to the Global Wildland Fire Network, and the Global Wildland Fire Network under the in particular to the three regional networks auspices of the United Nations International covering temperate-boreal Eurasia and Asia. In Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and order to realise this strategic plan, a timetable the Global Fire Monitoring Centre (GFMC). of concrete actions in fostering international The NEA countries intend to work together with the UN and other co-operation, must be developed. One of FOUNDATION MEETING international organisations, notably through the Global Wildland Fire Network the important steps is the organisation of the The foundation meeting of the Regional North under the auspices of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster follow-up work at national level in each country. East Asia Wildland Fire Network (RNEAWFN) Reduction (UNISDR) and the Global Fire Monitoring Centre (GFMC) There are several other major factors in was held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on co-operation that must be carried out at a March 6, 2004. It was hosted by GFMC Session of the Seville Conference included national level, including annual meetings of and the Korea Forest Research Institute and the following recommendations to national the Regional Wildland Fire Networks, and joint supported by the UNISDR. One goal included authorities and international organisations: implementation projects. Network members each country expressing a desire to establish ● Foster the bilateral and multilateral must take advantage of the accumulated the RNEAWFN. The members of the newly co-operation in the fi eld of wildland international expertise in fi re management established network discussed and expressed fi re management, realisation of joint and international co-operation. They must their support to develop bilateral and multilateral research and practical projects advancing also ensure that results from dedicated agreements on co-operation in wildland fi re the knowledge on wildland fi res; meetings, conferences and symposia reach management, based on international standards ● Promote the utilisation of advanced the decision-makers and that these will be as proposed by the International Wildland methods and instruments of fi re challenged to provide the necessary support. Fire Summit. They also planned to investigate monitoring and decision support; Member countries should continue to the introduction of the Incident Command ● Develop a system of fi re specialists’ strengthen their commitments to promote System (ICS) as the international standard training and awareness of the population regional co-operation, including joint for all wildland incident management. on wildland fi res and their prevention; investigations, joint fi re management Members acknowledged the importance of ● Arrange a detailed consideration of such demonstration projects, consultations, and training and capacity building in wildland fi re documents as ‘Fire Management: Voluntary conferences. They will also be holding national management, community involvement in fi re guidelines. Principles and Strategic Actions’, discussions on the Voluntary Fire Management management, bilateral and multilateral wildland proposals for international co-operation Guidelines and make sure that the public and fi re emergency exercises and of exchange development in fi re management; institutional stakeholders are involved. visits and programmes to share lessons ● To support the efforts of the UNISDR Global Education and awareness campaigns learned and to solve problems. They also Wildland Fire Network, its Secretariat, related to forest fi re prevention should be considered the need to develop arrangements the GFMC, the Regional Wildland Fire a continuing effort by governments, as is to support the collection and dissemination Networks in uniting the international the development of a globally accepted fi re of wildland fi re information, the facilitation of activities in fi re management, especially management terminology and defi nitions regular regional dialogue and joint projects, in collecting and disseminating the fi re in the most important languages, which and to provide technical support to countries information, arranging the intensive must be a high priority. It is also important in need of aerial assets and personnel. international dialogue, projects, etc; that fi nancial support be provided to the The participants discussed the forest fi re ● To promote the establishment of an UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and problems in Russia, the Republic of Korea, International Wildland Fire Training Centre, its secretariat, the GFMC, both by national China, Japan and other countries. They looked having also the functions of the Regional authorities and international organisations. at monitoring fi res and suppression methods Fire Monitoring and Research Centre in one Countries belonging to the UNISDR Regional identifi ed sources of possible technical and of the north-east Asian countries; and Wildland Fire Networks must contribute to a funding assistance and support to activities ● To attract members of the UNISDR Global Vegetation Fire Information System, related to fi re management, as well as Global Wildland Fire Network as which will include the application of new making a joint fi eld trip to burned areas. The experts and technical specialists in technologies, and advanced satellite systems participants also drafted a fi ve-year plan the elaboration of solutions in complex for detecting and evaluating vegetation fi res. and a mission statement for the network. The Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire The next meetings of the network in AUTHOR Network is going to implement a number of Japan in 2005, Russia in 2005 and 2006 Dr Leonid Kondrashov is President of the Non activities. These will include reinforcing the and China in 2007 were used to strengthen Governmental Agency Pacifi c Forest Forum and is partnership between countries by exchanging the dialogue to discuss the draft UN Fire serving as sub-regional representative of the UNISDR and sharing information, as well as developing Management Voluntary Guidelines and pave Regional North East Asia Wildland Fire Network common studies and programmes for forest fi re the way to participate in the 4th International (www.fi re.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/Northeast- management. In addition, the network will work Wildland Fire Conference in Spain in 2007. Asia/Northeastasia.html) on the interchange of technology and resources The main outcomes of the Regional for restoring areas damaged by forest fi res. CRJ

66 CRISIS | RESPONSE+ VOL 4 ISSUE 2 CRISIS | RESPONSE+ VOL 4 ISSUE 2 PB in depth

raged in the west, south and north districts of Federal Republic of Germany and Offi ce for ABOUT THE REGIONAL SOUTH ASIA WILDLAND Sikkim. Fires were observed at altitudes ranging Humanitarian Assistance. A pilot activity FIRE NETWORK from 1,700 to 2,400m. Forest personnel, fi re entitled Three-Level Wildland Fire Management brigades, Sikkim police, the India Reserve Project for Nepal has been implemented by the The Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network (RSAWFN) has been set up Battalion and local people were involved in GFMC partnering with the Regional Network, under the umbrella of the Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN), under the containing the fl ames. In January 2006, fi res the Department of Forests, Government of auspices, and as an outreach programme, of the UN International Strategy threatened to wipe out the natural bamboo Nepal, the International Centre for Mountain for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). It is the youngest member among 13 habitat of endangered red pandas in the Barsey Development (ICIMOD) and the United regional networks. The foundation of the RSAWFN was held in the premises Rhododendron Sanctuary, West Sikkim. The Nations Development Programme (UNDP). of, and co-sponsored by, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Sanctuary also provides the habitat for the Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal, April 2007, facilitated and Himalayan black bear, leopard cat, barking SUPPORT funded by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). The overall objectives deer and goat antelopes. Some areas which are At the local level, participatory training for of the regional network, in which countries of mainland South Asia are important for tourism and religious reasons, eg 24 representatives from a local community participating, are in line with the Declaration of the Tenth South Asian the Guru Padmashambhava’s idol at Sandruptse, has been conducted and a community forest Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Summit on Environment are frequently threatened by the fi res. Several fi re management plan for the Chaukitole (Colombo 1998), and the decisions by the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory fi res reportedly crossed over from Nepalese community forest developed. A District Group / Global Wildland Fire Network. Representatives from Bangladesh, territory. Forest Fire Management Plan has been Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka attended and contributed to the meeting. ■ Nepal: Several hundred ha of state-owned prepared for Makawanpur District. At national The network is currently chaired by Nepal. forest in Chhintapu, in eastern Nepal’s Ilam level, a ‘round table’ for the development District, were destroyed by fi res that raged for of a national fi re management strategy Wildland fi res: Part IV more than four days in January 2006. The area for Nepal was conducted in December is rich in biodiversity and herbal plants and 2007, within the frame of the project. provides habitat for endangered animals. In Considering the trend of climate change and April 2008, fi res burned for more than a week in increasing human pressure on the ecosystems Regional focus the Laligurans and Chaukhedhunga community of South Asia, governments of the region are forests of Tharmare, threatening the structures challenged to develop national and regional Sundar P Sharma explains what can be done to and residents of Thinban village. Other forests, strategies for fi re management incorporating all like the broadleaved Sal forests in the Terai of stakeholders concerned. Strategic approaches improve forest fi re management in South Asia Nepal, show a remarkable adaption to fi re – a should be targeted to stabilise the livelihood forest type in which the use of prescribed fi re for of the local communities and conservation of HE SOUTH ASIAN REGION IS research and management are limited, Moreover, fi refi ghting operations are more fuel reduction was fi rst tested in April 2008. Himalayan ecosystems. Under a framework characterised by diverse ecosystems including fi re monitoring, early warning diffi cult owing to steep mountain landscapes, ■ Bhutan: After the most severe year of fi res of internationally accepted fi re management Tand socio-economic and cultural and ecological and socio-economic impact scarce water sources, poor communication settings resulting from a wide range of assessment. Until recently there was no and a lack of infrastructure. In this rough terrain land-use systems and climatic conditions. regional co-operation in fi re management. fi refi ghting is often dangerous and hampered Firefi ghting operations are more diffi cult Consequently, these ecosystems have Fires in high altitude ecosystems are a major by falling rocks from the burnt sites. Fires in owing to steep mountain landscapes, diverse fi re regimes and vulnerabilities. driver for destruction of pristine biodiversity, the coniferous and broadleaved forests occur scarce water sources, poor communication including the habitats of many rare species. mainly in the late dry season from December DESTRUCTION They are also affecting cultural heritage sites to June. The main causes of fi re are human and a lack of infrastructure All over the region fi re is used by the rural and land-use systems that provide the basis induced (deliberate and negligent) and fuelled population as a traditional tool for clearing and for livelihoods to a population of around 150 by the dry winter weather, generally prevailing in 1993, major forest fi res were recorded in standards, regional capacity building in wildland managing agricultural and pastoral lands. Fire million people living in the mountain region. windy conditions and steep topography. Limited Trashigang District in 2006, affecting about fi re management needs to be supported. is also used to facilitate the gathering of, and Most importantly, the secondary consequences (trained) manpower for fi re management is 2,500 acres of forests. Similarly, in 2006-2007 The starting points should be: increase in, productivity of Non-Timber Forest of wildfi res include the destruction of soil- SOUTH ASIA another problem in the high mountains. The fi res affected Wangdue district. In a single fi re ● Strengthening local communities coping Products (NTFPs) and for hunting. Uncontrolled protecting vegetation cover, affecting water following examples are reports from the region about 37,269.69 acres were scarred. In 2007, with wildfi res and aiding them in addressing fi res escaping from these land-use fi res are regimes for a population of 1.4 billion. published by the website of the Global Fire major forest fi re outbreaks occurred along the the consequences of climate change and

common in the region, with a long and intense Fires occurring in the highlands of Tibet, CHINA Monitoring Centre (GFMC – www.gfmc.org). Tsirang-Wangdue national highway damaging fi res and the effects on their livelihoods; Community members practise fi re suppression dry season. Many of these fi res have the Sikkim, Bhutan and the northern part of ■ Tibet: In January 2006, forest fi res in Tingri 5,000 ha of pine forest and other vegetation. ● Emphasising the improvement of D Kraus (GFMC) potential to cause major damage. Among the Nepal at altitudes from 2,700 to 3,800m County near Xigaze, at the foot of Mount Personnel from the Royal Bhutan Army, Royal participatory/community-based fi re consequences of uncontrolled fi res in South above sea level often cross national borders, Qomolangma (Mount Everest), burned for more Bhutan Police, Royal Body Guards, volunteers management approaches and institutional AUTHOR Asia are serious degradation of forests and especially during the dry winter fi re season than three days and severely affected the primary and forestry offi cials are usually involved in and technological capabilities at all levels; Sundar P Sharma is Soil Conservation Offi cer at ecological changes, as well as the deterioration (November to January). Observations indicate forests in a natural reserve around the highest battling the fi res. ● Assisting countries in fi re management the Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention of social and economic conditions in some that the occurrence of wildfi res is increasing mountain on Earth. In March 2008, a major There is an increasing interest in Community- planning, enhancing institutional and (DWIDP), Ministry of Water Resources, Government EPAL HUTAN land-use systems and natural vegetation types. as a consequence of regional warming and N & B forest fi re burned in the south-eastern part of Based Fire Management (CBFiM) in the technological capabilities and developing of Nepal. He is currently working at the Global However, in some ecosystems fi re can be an extended dry spells. The southern slopes CHINA Tibet. It affected a total of 208 hectares (ha) and region. So the Network is proactively being synergies through co-ordinated and Tibet Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), and is serving as essential part in ecosystem dynamics and in of the mountains are primarily affected, completely destroyed 68 ha of forest. A total of oriented towards promoting its concepts. collective action both within the NEPAL coordinator of the UNISDR Regional South Asia the shaping of landscape patterns. Thus, not all since they are generally warmer and drier BHUTAN 23,000 people fought the fi re, which burned for In Nepal, collaborative action to implement region and internationally; and Wildland Fire Network (http://www.fi re.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/ of the fi res are considered to be destructive. compared to northern slopes and are a week. CBFiM has been initiated by the GFMC, with ● Promoting education and awareness-raising South _ Asia/south _ asia _ WFN _ 1.html) Within the region the capabilities in fi re therefore exposed to high human pressure. ■ Sikkim: In January 2005, several wildfi res fi nancial support from the Foreign Offi ce, programmes on wildfi re prevention. CRJ

54 CRISIS | RESPONSE+ VOL 4 ISSUE 3 CRISIS | RESPONSE+ VOL 4 ISSUE 3 55