Projects

Over the years, FAO has implemented more than 80 fire management field projects in over 50 countries together with the support of partners and bilateral donors. The map below highlights a selection of recent projects.

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries.

In these projects, the need for integrated and participatory approaches to fire management is stressed, including the involvement of local people in the planning and execution of programmes; in the prevention, detection and control of wildfires; and in the sound management of the use of fire as a tool in management of agricultural, grazing and forest lands. Each project has also a strong country capacity development and legal review component.

Featured projects

Republic of Sudan Fire Management Strategy Framework and Outline 2021

The development of the Sudan fire management strategy framework and outline aimed to offer guidance and information about the positive and negative social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts of natural and non-natural wildfires, as well as to support decisionmakers in achieving sustainable fire management. In order to set up the framework and outline of a fire management strategy, updated information needed to be collected and analyzed via both spatial and non-spatial means i.e. stakeholder engagement. 

Timeline: 2020–2021
Objectives: To analyze and assess the actual wildfire status as well as to develop and structure a framework and outline for a fire management strategy based on the actual situation of fire in Sudan. 
Beneficiaries: Commissioned by FAO Office (Sudan) for the REDD+ programme, Forest National Corporation (FNC) at the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources with support of the Federal Government of Sudan.
Key highlights: Set of outlines and frameworks for the development of wildfire management strategy options, which could further be applied down into different-level implementation action plans. 

  • Within the proposed institutional fire management framework, there should be increased involvement of local administrations and women. 
  • Access to high-resolution remote sensing data will improve the quality of the national GHG inventories. 
  • Enhancement of mapping will enable forest burnt areas to be detected accurately. 
  • Assessing wildfire risk will aid in quantifying the potential wildfire intensity, severity and effect on livelihoods.
  • There is a need to allocate funding to set up the fire focal points as part of the institutional fire framework of the Forest National Corporation (FNC) at the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 

Integrated forest fire management in Morocco: National strategy and action plan 2020–2030

Key objective: To develop a fire management strategy for Morocco (2020–2030) that seeks to create and implement a new operating framework that will allow the actors to achieve their fire management goals in the best possible conditions. 
Timeline: 2016–2021
Beneficiaries: FAO office (Morocco), Ministry of Interior (Morocco), and Department of Water and Forests (Morocco).
Key highlights:

  • Assessment of fires in Morocco
  • National Strategy for Protection and Fire Fighting of Forests (SNPLCIF): Forêt Maroc 2024
  • Proposed Territorial plan for forest protection against fire Tetouan
  • Study and training trip to France
  • Updates of risk maps 

Technical assistance for forest fire management in Algeria

Institutions: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in collaboration with the General Directorate of Forests in Algeria, with financial support from Japan.
Timeline: 2019–2020
Key objectives:

  • The formalization of a National DFCI (Defense Against Fire) Plan defining the priority orientations at the national level and programming the actions to be undertaken in the medium term,
  • Training of future trainers in Fire Cause Research (FCR) techniques
  • Training of future trainers in the practice of feedback experience (REX) and the development of technical standards for DFCI equipment.

Key highlights:

  • The trainees were made aware of the value of feedback practice. Examples have been shared with them. An exchange allowed us to understand the REX framework for DFCI in Algeria.
  • Initial work has been done to identify the structures and equipment, as well as the elements for standardizing them.
  • Actors in the field contributed to the definition of the priority actions to be retained in the strategy.

Sustainable Forest Management in a Changing Climate FAO-Finland Forestry Programme in Tanzania

Key objectives: To enable resilient landscapes through improved fire management and response system in Tanzania 
Timeline: 2010–2013
Institutions: FAO and the Government of Finland
Highlights:

  • Intensification of national fire monitoring system
  • Community-based fire management
  • Policy support to reduce vulnerability to fires and better manage response

Project documents:

Integrated and community-based forest fire management in Syria

Key objective: To ensure sustainable management of forest resources for the benefit of the population’s livelihoods, through the enhancement of wildfire management capacity of the Forestry Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform in Syria.
Institutions: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Forestry Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform in Syria with financial support from the Government of Italy (2007-2008).
Timeline: 2004–2008

Highlights:

  • Community mobilization and support for pilot areas;
  • The strengthening of national institutions involved in forest fire management at both central and regional levels;
  • Capacity-building of staff in forest fire management units and other related sections at both central and decentralized levels; and
  • Technical and methodological approaches, such as the establishment of a fire incident management system providing technically sound and effective fire suppression.

Documents: Project highlights

last updated:  Wednesday, October 6, 2021