Located in Antalya, the International Forestry Training Centre (IFTC) is entering a new phase. The project “Enhancing the Capacity of the International Forestry Training Centre“, implemented in cooperation between the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), aims to strengthen the Centre as an international hub for forestry training, knowledge exchange, and regional cooperation.
The Centre grew from the International Forest Fires Training Centre, established in 2011, and adopted its broader mandate in 2015. About 14 kilometres from Antalya city centre, its 50-hectare campus brings together classrooms, operational facilities, accommodation, a specialist vehicle-training track, physical-preparedness areas, and a heliport for up to eight helicopters. This combination enables training to move directly from theory to field application.
Digital learning is part of the model. Training combines classroom instruction, field exercises, computer-based modules, and the Forest Fire Fighting Training Simulator (OYMES). The simulator allows forest engineers and incident commanders to practise coordination and decision-making before real emergencies. Scenarios can reproduce changing vegetation, weather, and topography, helping trainees assess fire spread, allocate vehicles and personnel, test suppression options, and review the consequences of their decisions. It can also support the analysis of fire behaviour and operational planning.
The Centre is demonstrating how this infrastructure can serve an international audience. In July 2024, specialists from Central Asia, Georgia, and Türkiye joined a workshop on remote-sensing surveys and integrated forest fire management. Participants practised forest-data collection and image interpretation, including work with the Collect Earth Online platform, before moving to computer-based fire training, field applications, and simulator exercises. The programme connected remote sensing with the three stages of fire management: prevention, suppression, and rehabilitation.
The FAO–Türkiye project will assess and address the Centre’s technical and technological needs, while expanding capacity building in sustainable forest and land management and climate change. Its future training portfolio is expected to extend beyond fire management to forest landscape restoration, biodiversity conservation, protected areas, desertification, land degradation neutrality, and ecosystem resilience. Multilingual resources and inclusive, gender-sensitive participation will support wider access without displacing the Centre’s practical and technical focus.
Running from March 2024 to February 2027, the USD 1 million project focuses on Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It creates an opportunity to connect Türkiye’s Mediterranean forestry experience with FAO’s subregional knowledge in Central Asia.
By serving several countries through a single platform, the Centre can also reduce duplication and build lasting professional networks among forestry administrations, universities, and research institutions. Joint exercises, technical exchanges, and shared digital resources can help countries compare approaches, learn from operational experience, and develop compatible responses to common climate and landscape challenges.
For Mediterranean partners facing longer fire seasons, land degradation, and growing pressure on natural resources, IFTC offers more than a training venue. Its combination of simulation, field practice, and international exchange provides a practical model for turning institutional experience into skills that can be shared, tested, and adapted across countries.
Related links
- FAO project overview
- FAO: Remote Sensing Survey and Forest Fire Management Training in Antalya
- IFTC Simulation Centre — General Directorate of Forestry
- About IFTC — General Directorate of Forestry
This piece was contributed by Hülya Kılıç Hernández (PhD), Project Manager of the International Forestry Training Centre project at FAOSEC Türkiye.
