Coordinating Efforts for Effective Wildland Fire Management
A Collaborative Approach to Safeguard Communities and Ecosystems
8-10 Nov 2023
Kruger National Park
CONFERENCE DATES
VENUE
CONFERENCE COST
Includes refreshments & lunch
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recently released report Spreading like Wildfire: The Rising Threat of Extraordinary Landscape Fires, finds that climate change and land-use change are making wildfires worse and anticipates a global increase of extreme fires even in areas previously unaffected. Uncontrollable and extreme wildfires can be devastating to people, biodiversity and ecosystems. They also exacerbate climate change, contributing significant greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere. The report estimates that the risk worldwide of highly devastating fires could increase by up to 57% by the end of the century.
The world’s eight most extreme wildfire weather years have occurred in the last decade, according to a study that suggests extreme fire weather is being driven by a decrease in atmospheric humidity coupled with rising temperatures.
“Extreme conditions drive the world’s fire activity,” said former University of Alberta wildfire expert Michael Flannigan, who conducted the research with study lead Piyush Jain, research scientist with Natural Resources Canada, and Sean Coogan, post-doctoral fellow in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences.
The UNEP report calls for governments to dramatically shift their approach to preventing, rather than only focusing on fighting, fires, which they said would be more effective.
“There isn’t the right attention to fire from governments,” according to fire expert at the University of Cape Town and a co-author of the report Glynis Humphrey. We have to minimize the risk of extreme wildfires by being better prepared: invest more in fire risk reduction, work with local communities, and strengthen global commitment to fight climate change”, cautions Humphrey.
The UN report recommends “two-thirds of spending in planning, prevention, preparedness and recovery, with one-third spent on response.”
The award-winning Working on Fire programme, funded through the government’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in South Africa is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2023. As part of its celebrations, we are hosting a fire management symposium at the scenic Skukuza Conference Centre in the Kruger National Park.
The projected threat is very likely to outstrip local resources in many locations around the globe. Our only hope for mitigating these negative impacts of climate change on the incidence of threat of wildland fires, is greater emphasis on preventative measures, preparedness and collaboration between entities within states and between states.
The theme of the symposium is hence to emphasize the importance on preventative measures and the foster greater collaboration, within and between states and is intended to provide a platform for greater collaboration on the African continent and international wildland fire forums.
For more information please contact:
Call for submissions
The Organizing Committee of Working on Fire@20 Fire Management Symposium is calling for abstract submissions. To present your research at the symposium your abstract must be in line with the symposium themes and sub themes and will be reviewed by the Organizing Committee (Nelson Mandela University – Forestry, Wood Technology and Veldfire Management & Working on Fire – Kishugu Joint Venture) . Once approved and upon payment of registration fees, your attendance and presentation time slot at the conference will be confirmed.
Submission themes
The Organizing Committee invites wildfire management practitioners and scientists to submit abstracts covering a range of interdisciplinary and theoretical perspectives within the boundaries of the “Collaboration in Managing Wildland Fires” theme of the event. Please find a breakdown of the main theme below:
DAY ONE Session 1: The Context of Wildland Fire Management
Reviewing how wildfire management is facilitated in the global, national, provincial, and local, spheres of government and between states. The reflection is intended to assess capacity in the context of a worsening environment of unwanted wildland fires.
DAY ONE Session 2: Climate Change and the new “Normal” in Integrated Fire Management
Considering the effects of a fast-changing climate on fire behaviour and how these effects change the ecology of fires (fire regimes, growth, alien invasion, water scarcity, etc.). Early warning systems are also considered as far as short-, medium- and long-term weather is concerned and how early warning about weather should feed into management/decision making systems for management, including managing the wildland urban interface.
DAY ONE Session 3: Empowering Africa to implement Integrated Fire Management
Information about ongoing projects and research in Africa that supports IFM. Identifying needs and challenges preventing fire managers to be more successful to curb the negative effects of wildfires and the prospects for inter country collaboration around Integrated Fire Management.
DAY TWO Session 4: The Role of Aerial Resources in Integrated Fire Management
A discussion on the role of aerial fire suppression, international trends, resources available on the African continent and scope for inter-company collaboration.
DAY TWO: Session 5 Practical fire management simulation and demonstration
of innovations in wildland fire management
DAY THREE Session 6: Prevention the Key to Mitigating the Increased Incidence of
Wildland Fires
Fire prevention programmes that decrease mitigate the risks of unwanted wildland fires. This includes education programmes (from ground level awareness initiatives to tertiary qualifications), engineering/activities that will regulate the use of fire under unfavorable conditions/situations, law enforcement and prescribed burning.
DAY THREE Session 7: Better Collaboration of Global, Continental and Local Level
Investigating and giving feedback about global collaboration within Integrated Fire Management and identifying opportunities to share knowledge and resources. Considering agreements, policies and legislation that will support collaboration. Standardizing Incident Command Systems in SA and Africa.
DAY THREE Session 8: Panel Discussion – Wildland Fire Management: Challenges
at the Local Level in South Africa
This session is intended to generate a frank discussion between wildland fire managers and authorities on the issues and challenges confronting managing wildland fires in the South African context.
Upload submission
- Submission deadline: 15 August 2023
- If your abstract is accepted, you will be invited to register for the conference.
- Upon registration you will be issued with an Invoice.
- Upon payment of the registration fee, you will receive a confirmation email containing your official receipt.
