Risk is increasing and vulnerabilities too, confirmed Prof. Goldammer. “Wildfires are more and more affecting the interface between highly flammable vegetation and residential areas such as farmsteads, villages and peri-urban housing zones. These fires cause high economic losses by burning private and public assets and critical infrastructure. They also pose a high threat to human health and security due to increased pollution.” 

While it is obvious that that the wildfire risk in Europe has increased significantly, the response to this development varies also between countries, explained Prof. Goldammer. 

“Only a few countries have responded to the multitude of changes in their landscapes by developing adequate fire prevention and response strategies and improved the capabilities of the fire services to deal with complex fire situations. Spain is a good example in this regard. Other countries unilaterally rely on purchase of modern firefighting technologies including firefighting aircraft. However, the provision of firefighting technologies does not replace the need for addressing the underlying causes which have been leading to higher wildfire risk and increased vulnerability of societies.” 

Since the start of the year 2017, tens of thousands of hectares of land have been destroyed by fires in Bosnia, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Italy, Serbia, Spain, Portugal and Russia. Lives have been lost, notably in Portugal where over 60 deaths have been recorded. 

“Unlike most geological and hydro-meteorological hazards, wildfires represent a natural and human-made hazard which can be predicted, controlled and, in many cases, prevented. Reducing the risk of wildfires requires collective international action in order to ensure the protection of ecosystems, human health and security. 

“In order to overcome the lack of policies we need to aggressively market the scientific and technical knowledge in fire management and put in into strategic planning and action.” 

As news broke of the arrest of volunteer firefighters in Sicily suspected of deliberately setting fires, Prof. Goldhammer said: “I do not discard the negative impact of criminal acts which makes matters worse but it is urgent to accelerate the implementation of forest and land management policies.” He concluded. 

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction -- a 15-year international blueprint adopted in March, 2015, with the aim of saving lives and reducing the economic impacts of natural and man-made hazards -- encourages governments to integrate disaster risk reduction policies in their national management policies to make communities more resilient against disasters. 

“Fire risk must be included in land use management and in the management of natural ecosystems including forests if we want to achieve the main goals of the Sendai Framework” said Robert Glasser, Head of UNISDR and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Date:

8 Aug 2017

Sources:

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)

Hazards:

Wild Fire

Regions:

Europe