In October, fire experts, policymakers and key stakeholders came together for an international conference in Madrid to answer the question: how can we take action on catastrophic forest fires? The conference, “Resilient landscapes to face catastrophic forest fires: global insights towards a new paradigm,” considered diverse socioeconomic perspectives and world experiences to manage and mitigate forest fire risks.
From the robust discussion and debate among expert speakers and engaged attendees, EFI is pleased to publish the first report of the conference’s key messages and major themes raised throughout the two days of the event.
The four key messages highlighted in this “Straight from the Seminar” report include 1) the need to understand and address the root causes of wildfires, 2) the importance of being well-prepared to face extreme fire, 3) the ability to communicate and shift public perceptions of fire risk, and 4) the capacity to scale up transformative change through a renewed vision for rural areas and re-imagined rural-urban connections.
According to conference speakers, more effectively addressing the deep socioeconomic and biophysical roots of wildfires requires comprehensive and sustained political action across multiple domains: from forestry to rural policies, from climate action to the bioeconomy, and from civil protection to land-use planning.
Read more about these key messages for mitigating global fire risk.
