Coordinators

Prof. Dr. Johann G. Goldammer, Coordinator @ Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) / Fire Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, c/o Freiburg University and United Nations University (UNU), Georges-Koehler-Allee 75, 79110 Freiburg, Germany, Tel: +49-761-808011, Fax: +49-761-808012, Email: johann.goldammer@fire.uni-freiburg.de
WEB: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de

Coordinators and members of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks, details to be added – see:http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/globalNet.html 

The Issue
Over the past years, many countries and regions of the world are experiencing an increase of extremely large and severe vegetation fires. Some of the fire effects are trans-boundary -- smoke and water pollution from such fires directly impact lives, human health and safety, livelihoods, material possessions, loss of biodiversity or site degradation at a landscape level leading to desertification or flooding. The depletion of terrestrial carbon by fires burning under extreme conditions in some vegetation types, including organic terrain in peat land biomes, is a major contributor to global climate change. Observed and modeled consequences of regional climate changes suggest that the world’s vegetation, the global environment and humanity will become increasingly vulnerable to and damaged by fires.

In response to the escalating situation the UN-ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network (Coordinator and Secretariat: Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), Freiburg, Germany) were founded in 2003 to provide independent advice to local communities, national governments and administrations, international organizations, and the United Nations system to reduce the negative impacts of vegetation fires on the environment and humanity. The approach includes the promotion of competence-based fire management involving the role of natural and human-used fires in natural ecosystems and land-use system where appropriate and needed 

The latest version of the actual chapter is linked from here.

PARTICIPANTS

Broad participation Prof. Dr. Johann G. Goldammer, Coordinator @ Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) / Fire Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, c/o Freiburg University and United Nations University (UNU), Georges-Koehler-Allee 75, 79110 Freiburg, Germany, Tel: +49-761-808011, Fax: +49-761-808012, Email: johann.goldammer@fire.uni-freiburg.de
WEB: http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de

NEWS

Daily worldwide updates on Media Highlights on Fire, Policies, and Politics:
http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/media/news.htm 

Daily significant fire events:
http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/current/globalfire.htm 

See GFMC and the Global Wildland Fire Network’s monthly activity calendar:
http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/about4.html
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Background papers and updates on global fire action, policies and politics:
http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/GlobalNetworks/RationaleandIntroduction.html 

Results and follow-up of the International Wildland Fire Summit (2003):
http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/summit-2003/introduction.htm 

Outcomes of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference (2007):
http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/sevilla-2007.html 

GFMC publications on fire ecology and management:
http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/intro/mpi/goldlit.html
 

LINKS

Links to relevant organizations and web sites.
Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) http://www.fire.uni-freiburg.de 
Global Fire Partnership (IUCN, TNC, WWF)
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
Taiga Rescue Network (TRN)
The Association of Fire Ecology (AFE)

PICTURES, CHARTS AND FILMS

RECOMMENDATIONS

All recommendations by a Working Group will be combined and indexed in a special chapter in the report to the Secretary General.

The current situation and the expected trends are challenging the international community to address the problem collectively and collaboratively. The Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), a non-government institution founded in 1998 as a contribution to UNISDR and the implementation of the HFA, is serving civil society, governments, regional entities and international organizations, notably the UN, in the development of policies and strategies to reduce the negative impacts of fire on the environment and humanity. The GFMC is working through the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN) and the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group (WFAG).

In 2006-2007 the GWFN responded to the demand of a number of countries to intensify national and international cooperation in fire management. International organizations (IEWP, GEOSS, FAO) were supported to develop a concept for a Global Wildland Fire Early Warning System, an assessment of the global fire situation and management capabilities, fire management voluntary guidelines and a review of international cooperation in fire management. Within the Regional Wildland Fire Networks consultations were held to develop and implement procedures for bilateral and multilateral cooperation in fire management.

The GWFN is challenging countries and the international community to support capacity-building programmes and projects in wildland fire management at national and regional levels.