Nogués, Júlia

Integrated Fire Management (IFM or sustainable fire management) has been identified by the international fire community as a suitable interdisciplinary approach to address the problem of more extreme wildfires spreading across the globe. IFM includes actions aimed at reducing the extent and severity of undesired wildfires while maximizing the positive impacts of fire on biodiversity, ecosystem services and human wellbeing.

The FIRE-ADAPT has set up a network of scientists and practitioners from the Mediterranean Basin, the UK and Latin America to expand the knowledge of IFM in tropical and subtropical regions. The project partners are working on a set of outcomes on IFM such as 1) handbooks for assessing the impacts of prescribed burns on biodiversity and C dynamics, 2) databases on IFM practices, 3) modelling solutions for assessing the impacts of IFM on vegetation health and Carbon fluxes under climate change conditions, 4) Rapid Assessment Booklet for Policymakers and media, 5) guidelines for IFM capacity building for practitioners, and 6) virtual exhibition to raise awareness about IFM to the general public.

These results can be relevant for the international fire community, as IFM is identified as a potential solution to reduce the negative impacts of wildfires. Particularly interesting for researchers and practitioners working in regions where fire suppression efforts are increasingly unsafe and ineffective, and the response systems are overwhelmed due to the shift of fire regimes to more extreme events.