New technical training aimed at improving fire management at UNESCO Sites in Latin America and the Caribbean, one of the natural hazards that has increased the most in recent years as a result of climate change.
The situation is alarming and, unfortunately, the risk is systematically increasing. The incidence of fires in Ibero-America ranges from high to very high, burning more than 40 million hectares per year, which represents between 7% and 14% of the area burned worldwide, according to data from the Ibero-American Network of Climate Change Offices (RIOCC).
The most affected countries are Brazil and Bolivia, with 4% of their respective territories, followed by Portugal with 1.6%, in terms of area burned measured annually. Guatemala, Paraguay and Honduras have become leaders in the number of fires per unit area in the region, according to the estimation of the number of active fires carried out through satellite records in recent decades, according to RIOCC data.
Faced with this challenging and urgent scenario, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science in Latin America and the Caribbean is organizing through the Climate Change, Risk and Resilience Platform a professional training cycle, oriented to fire management in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks.
The invitation is open to all interested parties, with a special focus on managers and stakeholders of UNESCO sites in Ibero-America and the Caribbean, who have a responsibility in fire management.
«According to the RIOCCAdapt report, climate change is modifying fire patterns across the LAC region, directly increasing fire risk in some parts of the region, with longer, drier and more severe fire seasons,» said MAB Program Coordinator Serena Heckler.
At the regional level, fire monitoring is still insufficient and fire management is often reduced to suppression and does not incorporate indigenous knowledge of fire. With a strong scientific emphasis, nurtured by good practices, experiences and lessons learned at the regional level, this training offers a cycle of five webinars, which integrates different theoretical and technical classes, expert discussions in international panels, and also links innovative research and tools that can be applied in UNESCO sites or translated into public policies or solutions for the entire region. All events will be translated into Spanish, English and Portuguese.
This cycle is supported by the Brazilian company umgrauemeio.com, focused on the development of technology and tools for monitoring forest fires.
