The convergence of expertise and innovation in wildfire risk management took centre stage at the Wildfire Risk Management Project (WFRM) Clustering Event 2023, held at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels on 22 November.
The event, organised by the European Research Executive Agency (REA), the Firelogue project (an EU Coordination and Support Action aiming to boost cooperation between fire-related projects) and DG ECHO, aimed to:
Over 80 participants convened for a full-day session, including representatives from projects such as FirEUrisk, FIRE-RES, SILVANUS, TREEADS, SAFERS, FireLinks, FireAdapt, ECHO projects, Commission Expert Group on Forest Fires (EGFF) members, European Commission representatives, and others. The event was scheduled back-to-back with the 7th DRMKC Annual Seminar, fostering interdisciplinary discourse among experts tackling similar fire-related challenges.
The day started with a welcome from Nicolas Faivre of REA and Claudia Berchtold, project coordinator of Firelogue, setting the tone for the day-long dialogue. Keynote speaker Philip Ward from VU Amsterdam drew attention to an innovative approach to disaster resilience, shedding light on multi-hazard and multi-risk considerations through the Myriad project.
The morning session focused on project overviews and insights from ECHO Fire projects, such as the AFAN Project, IPA Flood and Fires and WUITIPS.
Breakout groups and thematic workshops followed, with experts engaged in reflections on project’s main advances and on remaining challenges in assessing and evaluating the risk of fire, and in governing wildfire risk assessing.
The integration of solutions and project results was also addressed, featuring the Firelogue platform's offerings, including lessons on fire, technology mall, thematic working groups, and the justice dimension of WFRM.
The following workshops concluded the event:
The closing remarks by Cathelijne Stoof from Wageningen University, Celia Garcia Feced from the Ministry of the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge in Spain, and Cristina Brailescu from DG ECHO underscored the significance of collaborative efforts in addressing wildfire challenges.
The Wildfire Risk Management Project Clustering Event 2023 served as a verification of the collective dedication towards a sustainable and integrated approach in mitigating the threats posed by wildfires. Diverse expertise converged to pave the way for innovative solutions and policies in wildfire risk management.
You can consult the agenda here.
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