Global Fire Challenges in a Warming World - Summary Note of a Global Expert Workshop on Fire and Climate Change. Albar, I., Amissah, L., Bowman, D., Charlton, V., Cochrane, M., De Groot, B., Ellison, D., Field, R., Flannigan, M., Goldammer, J., Kant, P., Khan, M. N., Kornexl, W. L., Krasovskii, A., McCaffrey, S., Mitchell, A. M., Mohanty, A. K., Moore, P., Murdiyarso, D., Nolasco-Morales, A., Nuruddin, A., Papageorgiou, S., Ribeiro, N., Robinne, F., Sanhueza, P., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., Schepaschenko, D., Setzer, A., Smith, R., Soares-Filho, B., Sommers, W., Stanturf, J., Steil, L., Van der Werf, G., Vega-Garcia, C., & Vikram, E. Volume 32 of IUFRO Occasional Paper Series, International Union of Forest Research Organizations.
Global Fire Challenges in a Warming World - Summary Note of a Global Expert Workshop on Fire and Climate Change [link]Paper  abstract   bibtex   
[Executive summary] Today, catastrophic wildfires are increasingly common across the globe. Recent disasters have attracted media attention and strengthened the perception of wildfires as ”bad” events, a plague worsened by climate change that has yet to be eradicated. Although it is true that fire has a destructive potential, the reality of global fire activity depicts a much more complex picture in which fire can be a useful, if not necessary, tool for food security and the preservation of cultural landscapes, as well as a an integral element of many ecosystems and their biodiversity. [\n] Global fire activity is shaped by diverse social, economic, and natural drivers influencing the fire environment. The culminating complexity of these factors defines in turn the likelihood of a landscape to burn and the potential positive or negative outcomes for communities and ecosystems that can result from a blaze. Although many regions remain understudied, the effects of ongoing climate change associated to other planetary changes are already visible, transforming fire activity in ways that are not well understood but that will likely be dramatic, with potential dire consequences to nature and society in case of adaptation failure. [\n] Based on the limited available statistics, there is a growing trend in the costs of wildfires. On top of human lives that are lost to the flames or smoke and the billions of dollars imputable to firefighting and insurance coverage, the growing interest in costs linked to healthcare, business stability, or the provision of ecosystem services such as drinking-water indicates negative economic consequences impacting countries' GDP and social stability. Attempts to evaluate the future costs of wildfire disasters point at a worsening situation, yet the list of possible social and economic effects is likely incomplete and the magnitude of envisaged impacts is likely conservative. [\n] Notwithstanding the difficulties inherent to global climate modeling, there is a scientific consensus on the future increase in the frequency of fire-conducive weather associated with drier ecosystems, a mix that will eventually result in more frequent and intense fire activity. When combined with an ever-growing world population and unsustainable land uses, the conditions leading to fire disaster will only be intensified. Although fire governance has historically advocated for fire suppression, a 'No Fire' motto is not an option anymore in the new fire reality. Current policies aiming at total fire suppression have been shown to be detrimental and are therefore outdated. The key to wildfire disaster risk reduction in a changing world now lies in learning to live with fire. [\n] Investments in international cooperation, integrated management, local community involvement, cutting-edge technologies, and long-term data collection are critically needed to ensure the future of fire disaster risk mitigation. Moreover, future land development policies must prioritize the protection and the restoration of natural and cultural landscapes that have been degraded by the inappropriate use of fire or, conversely, by historical fire exclusion; keeping a place for fire in forest resource management and landscape restoration has been shown to be a cost-effective and efficient solution to reduce fire hazard. Overall, synthesis of globally available scientific evidence revealed the following key issues for landscape management and governance: [::] Climate change, with longer, hotter, and drier fire seasons, in combination with other environmental changes linked to population growth and unsustainable land-use practices, is contributing to extreme wildfire events that exceed existing fire management capacities. The world is entering a 'new reality' that demands new approaches to fire governance. [::] Fire is an inherent feature of the Earth system and many ecosystems, including their fauna, are dependent on it for their long-term survival; nevertheless, ongoing changes in global fire activity in terms of location, intensity, severity, and frequency will likely have immense costs to biodiversity, ecosystem services, human well-being and livelihoods, and national economies – to extents that have yet to be evaluated. Investment in social, economic, and environmental monitoring is therefore urgent, especially in under-studied regions. [::] Integrated fire risk reduction is key to adapting to ongoing changes in global fire risk. Future sustainable fire risk mitigation demands integrated region-specific approaches based on a clear understanding of fires in context, population awareness and preparedness, fire surveillance and early-warning systems, adaptive suppression strategies, fire-regime restoration, landscape-scale fuel management, changes of many land use practices, and active restoration of landscapes. [::] Engagement with local communities, land-owners, businesses and public stakeholders – via multiple tiers of governance – is crucial to restore and maintain landscapes that are biodiverse and functional, respectful of local cultures and identities, economically productive, and above all, fire-resilient. [::] People have historically achieved sustainable co-existence with flammable ecosystems and have often used fire as a land-management tool, thereby shaping many modern and long-standing landscapes around the world. Traditional fire knowledge is thus key to adapting to local changes in fire activity, using known techniques for the reduction of dangerous fuel loads, prescribed burning and sustainable landscape management practices. [::] Building adaptive capacity to confront fires must be based on knowledge of the natural and cultural roles of fire, how they have shaped our modern landscapes, and their importance in the long-term functioning of socio-ecological systems. Further developments in land-system science, geospatial technologies, and computer modeling will enhance our understanding of the long-term ecological and socio-economic drivers of fire through the widespread collection and distribution of harmonized fire data at the global level. However, creating and sharing such knowledge requires national and international investments in scientific and operational fire science programs. [::] Catastrophic fires are undeniably part of our future. Current scientific estimates are likely conservative, meaning that changes in fire activity might likely be worse than anticipated. We have to act now to mitigate catastrophic fires and limit the occurrence of disastrous situations. Given disparities but also similarities in the levels of fire risk around the world, and the capacities to manage it, knowledge and technology transfers through international cooperation will be a paramount factor in learning to live with fire. [\n] This Occasional Paper is the result of a large collaborative effort by fire scientists and practitioners who believe that learning to co-exist with changing fire activity is not only possible but necessary if we, as a global society, are to adapt to climate change and keep our natural and cultural landscapes healthy, resilient, and safe for the next generations. The work presented hereafter was developed during, and as follow-up to, the Global Expert Workshop on Fire and Climate Change hosted in Vienna, Austria, in July 2018. It stresses the diversity and the complexity of the global fire situation, a situation that is evolving, positively or negatively, in unknown proportions due to global environmental changes – with climate change being the most acknowledged manifestation.
@book{albarGlobalFireChallenges2018,
  title = {Global Fire Challenges in a Warming World - {{Summary}} Note of a Global Expert Workshop on Fire and Climate Change},
  author = {Albar, Israr and Amissah, Lucy and Bowman, David and Charlton, Val and Cochrane, Mark and De Groot, Bill and Ellison, David and Field, Robert and Flannigan, Mike and Goldammer, Johann and Kant, Promode and Khan, Muhammad N. and Kornexl, Werner L. and Krasovskii, Andrey and McCaffrey, Sarah and Mitchell, Andrew M. and Mohanty, A. K. and Moore, Peter and Murdiyarso, Daniel and Nolasco-Morales, Alfredo and Nuruddin, Ainuddin and Papageorgiou, Stavros and Ribeiro, Natasha and Robinne, François-Nicolas and Sanhueza, Patricio and San-Miguel-Ayanz, Jesús and Schepaschenko, Dmitry and Setzer, Alberto and Smith, Ross and Soares-Filho, Britaldo and Sommers, William and Stanturf, John and Steil, Lara and Van der Werf, Guido and Vega-Garcia, Cristina and Vikram, E.},
  editor = {Robinne, François-Nicolas and Burns, Janice and Kant, Promode and Flannigan, Mike D. and Kleine, Michael and de Groot, Bill and Wotton, Mike},
  date = {2018-12},
  volume = {32},
  publisher = {{International Union of Forest Research Organizations}},
  location = {{Vienna, Austria}},
  issn = {1024-414X},
  url = {http://mfkp.org/INRMM/article/14682853},
  abstract = {[Executive summary] Today, catastrophic wildfires are increasingly common across the globe. Recent disasters have attracted media attention and strengthened the perception of wildfires as ”bad” events, a plague worsened by climate change that has yet to be eradicated. Although it is true that fire has a destructive potential, the reality of global fire activity depicts a much more complex picture in which fire can be a useful, if not necessary, tool for food security and the preservation of cultural landscapes, as well as a an integral element of many ecosystems and their biodiversity.

[\textbackslash n] Global fire activity is shaped by diverse social, economic, and natural drivers influencing the fire environment. The culminating complexity of these factors defines in turn the likelihood of a landscape to burn and the potential positive or negative outcomes for communities and ecosystems that can result from a blaze. Although many regions remain understudied, the effects of ongoing climate change associated to other planetary changes are already visible, transforming fire activity in ways that are not well understood but that will likely be dramatic, with potential dire consequences to nature and society in case of adaptation failure.

[\textbackslash n] Based on the limited available statistics, there is a growing trend in the costs of wildfires. On top of human lives that are lost to the flames or smoke and the billions of dollars imputable to firefighting and insurance coverage, the growing interest in costs linked to healthcare, business stability, or the provision of ecosystem services such as drinking-water indicates negative economic consequences impacting countries' GDP and social stability. Attempts to evaluate the future costs of wildfire disasters point at a worsening situation, yet the list of possible social and economic effects is likely incomplete and the magnitude of envisaged impacts is likely conservative.

[\textbackslash n] Notwithstanding the difficulties inherent to global climate modeling, there is a scientific consensus on the future increase in the frequency of fire-conducive weather associated with drier ecosystems, a mix that will eventually result in more frequent and intense fire activity. When combined with an ever-growing world population and unsustainable land uses, the conditions leading to fire disaster will only be intensified. Although fire governance has historically advocated for fire suppression, a 'No Fire' motto is not an option anymore in the new fire reality. Current policies aiming at total fire suppression have been shown to be detrimental and are therefore outdated. The key to wildfire disaster risk reduction in a changing world now lies in learning to live with fire.

[\textbackslash n] Investments in international cooperation, integrated management, local community involvement, cutting-edge technologies, and long-term data collection are critically needed to ensure the future of fire disaster risk mitigation. Moreover, future land development policies must prioritize the protection and the restoration of natural and cultural landscapes that have been degraded by the inappropriate use of fire or, conversely, by historical fire exclusion; keeping a place for fire in forest resource management and landscape restoration has been shown to be a cost-effective and efficient solution to reduce fire hazard. Overall, synthesis of globally available scientific evidence revealed the following key issues for landscape management and governance:

[::] Climate change, with longer, hotter, and drier fire seasons, in combination with other environmental changes linked to population growth and unsustainable land-use practices, is contributing to extreme wildfire events that exceed existing fire management capacities. The world is entering a 'new reality' that demands new approaches to fire governance.

[::] Fire is an inherent feature of the Earth system and many ecosystems, including their fauna, are dependent on it for their long-term survival; nevertheless, ongoing changes in global fire activity in terms of location, intensity, severity, and frequency will likely have immense costs to biodiversity, ecosystem services, human well-being and livelihoods, and national economies -- to extents that have yet to be evaluated. Investment in social, economic, and environmental monitoring is therefore urgent, especially in under-studied regions.

[::] Integrated fire risk reduction is key to adapting to ongoing changes in global fire risk. Future sustainable fire risk mitigation demands integrated region-specific approaches based on a clear understanding of fires in context, population awareness and preparedness, fire surveillance and early-warning systems, adaptive suppression strategies, fire-regime restoration, landscape-scale fuel management, changes of many land use practices, and active restoration of landscapes.

[::] Engagement with local communities, land-owners, businesses and public stakeholders -- via multiple tiers of governance -- is crucial to restore and maintain landscapes that are biodiverse and functional, respectful of local cultures and identities, economically productive, and above all, fire-resilient.

[::] People have historically achieved sustainable co-existence with flammable ecosystems and have often used fire as a land-management tool, thereby shaping many modern and long-standing landscapes around the world. Traditional fire knowledge is thus key to adapting to local changes in fire activity, using known techniques for the reduction of dangerous fuel loads, prescribed burning and sustainable landscape management practices.

[::] Building adaptive capacity to confront fires must be based on knowledge of the natural and cultural roles of fire, how they have shaped our modern landscapes, and their importance in the long-term functioning of socio-ecological systems. Further developments in land-system science, geospatial technologies, and computer modeling will enhance our understanding of the long-term ecological and socio-economic drivers of fire through the widespread collection and distribution of harmonized fire data at the global level. However, creating and sharing such knowledge requires national and international investments in scientific and operational fire science programs.

[::] Catastrophic fires are undeniably part of our future. Current scientific estimates are likely conservative, meaning that changes in fire activity might likely be worse than anticipated. We have to act now to mitigate catastrophic fires and limit the occurrence of disastrous situations. Given disparities but also similarities in the levels of fire risk around the world, and the capacities to manage it, knowledge and technology transfers through international cooperation will be a paramount factor in learning to live with fire.

[\textbackslash n] This Occasional Paper is the result of a large collaborative effort by fire scientists and practitioners who believe that learning to co-exist with changing fire activity is not only possible but necessary if we, as a global society, are to adapt to climate change and keep our natural and cultural landscapes healthy, resilient, and safe for the next generations. The work presented hereafter was developed during, and as follow-up to, the Global Expert Workshop on Fire and Climate Change hosted in Vienna, Austria, in July 2018. It stresses the diversity and the complexity of the global fire situation, a situation that is evolving, positively or negatively, in unknown proportions due to global environmental changes -- with climate change being the most acknowledged manifestation.},
  isbn = {978-3-903258-13-6},
  keywords = {*imported-from-citeulike-INRMM,~INRMM-MiD:c-14682853,adaptation,biodiversity,climate-change,diversity,fire-fuel,fire-management,fire-risk,flammability,forest-fires,forest-management,forest-resources,functional-traits,post-fire-management,system-catastrophe,wildfires},
  options = {useprefix=true},
  pagetotal = {60},
  series = {{{IUFRO Occasional Paper}} Series}
}

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