Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network

Pan-Asia Wildland Fire Network Secretariat

A Region of the Global Wildland Fire Network

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Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network

A Region of the Global Wildland Fire Network

International Forest Fire Symposium – Commemorating the International Year of Forests 2011
and 2nd Pan-Asia & 7th North East Asia Wildland Fire Network Meeting

7-8 June 2011, Sol Beach, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea

Rationale

Within the four regions of Asia that are belonging to the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network forest fires and other vegetation fires are increasingly impacting the environment and societies. The Northeast Asian Region, which includes the Korean Peninsula, the Far East of the Russian Federation, Japan and China, is experiencing increasing occurrence of forest fires with negative consequences on sustainability of ecosystems, biodiversity and forest productivity. The Central Asian Region, which includes Mongolia, Northern China, the Russian Federation (Siberia), and the Central Asian States (Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan), is affected by continental dryness, widespread illegal logging and increasing wildfires, which are threatening sustainable forest management and regularly resulting in regional smoke pollution. The Southeast Asian region, covering the members states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is faced by impacts of excessive fire application in land-use change, notably in rain forest and peat biomes, as well as wildfires in seasonally dry forests. The South Asian region, which is including countries of mainland South Asia not members of ASEAN, is faced with increasing pressure of forest fires, particularly in mountainous terrain, with severe consequences of secondary disasters such as landslides, erosion and floods. Many countries within the four regions of Asia are partners in economic and cultural activities. Some of them are sharing common forest fire problems, including transboundary fires and smoke pollution.

Objectives of the Consultation

The International Forest Fire Symposium – Commemorating the International Year of Forests 2011 aimed at progressing in the strategy on fire prevention and suppression since the large wildfires in 2000 in the Republic of Korea, to review post-fire restoration measures and to exchange information on preventing extreme fire disasters globally.

Objectives of the Network Meetings

In continuation of the endeavor to enhance cooperation among countries in the Asia region aimed at sharing technology, expertise and data in fire management and in following up the conclusions and recommendation of Regional Session III of the 5th International Wildland Fire Conference “Wildfire 2011” the network meeting aimed at strengthening the UNISDR Pan-Asia Wildland Fire Network by forming an Advisory Board and prepare the 2013 Pan-Asia Forest Fire Conference and the 6th International Wildland Fire Conference to be held in Republic of Korea in 2015.

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Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network

A Region of the Global Wildland Fire Network

             International Symposium on Strategy Development of Advanced Forest Fire Policy and Organization

15-16 January 2013, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Rationale

A global assessment of recent wildfires suggests the application of more balanced and comprehensive forest fire management approaches that better integrate fire-related considerations into natural resource management strategies at the landscape scale.

Lessons from catastrophic fires remind also that fire suppression should be considered as one of the several fire fields such as fire prevention, safe fire use, forest fire preparedness, suppression, and restoration of damaged area. And simple and clear jurisdiction is needed for avoiding and decreasing the unwanted fire effects.

The Symposium

This symposium was convened by the Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI) and co-sponsored by the Korea Forest Service (KFS) and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), with inputs of the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire and the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe and Eurasia Wildland Fire Networks. The objectives of the symposium included:

  • To discuss global and national level issues and concerns of forest fire paradigms and management, especially future forest fire strategy considering global change
  •  To share knowledge and experiences in building enhanced forest fire capacity and inter-agency cooperation in fire management, in order to develop effective forest fire mitigation and response.

Participants discussed how to enhance the integration of fire management to broader sustainable forest-use, how to establish long-term strategies for forest fire policy and organization and how to achieve the goal of simple and clear jurisdiction.

Symposium Organizers and Speakers:

First row, from Left to Right: Dr. Kim Kyong-ha (Director, Division of Forest Disaster Research, KFRI); Mr. Mark Jones (Chief Fire Officer/ CEO, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, UK); Dr. Gavriil Xanthopoulos (Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems and Forest Products Technology, Greece); Prof. Dr. Johann G. Goldammer (Director, GFMC); Dr. Yoon Young-kyoon (Director General, KFRI); Prof. Dr. Ryu Soung-ryoul (University of Alberta, Canada); Prof. Dr. Nikola Nikolov (Director, Regional SE Europe / Caucasus Fire Monitoring Center, FYR Macedonia); Dr. Nam Song-hee (Director, Division of Forest Fire Control, KFS); Prof. Dr. Lee Si-young (Kangwon National University).

Second row, from Left to Right: Prof. Dr.Kim Eung-sik (Hoseo University); Prof. Dr. Park Pil-sun (Seoul National University); Dr.Shin Joon-Hwan (Director Genera, Korea National Arboretum, KFS); Dr. Lee Myung-bo (Director General, Department of Forest Conservation, KFRI); Dr. Kim Hyeon-Sik (Director General, Department of Forest Protection, KFS); Dr. Baik Eul-Sun (Director General, Korea Forestry Promotion Institute); Dr. Baek, Jong-ho (Director General, Forest Training Institute, KFS).

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Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network

Pan-Asia Wildland Fire Network Secretariat

A Region of the Global Wildland Fire Network

International Thematic Workshop on Forest Disaster Management in Southeast Asia: “Challenges and Way Forward in Forest Fire Management” and Training Course “Training of Trainers on Forest Fire Management”

 

The ASEAN-Republic of Korea Forest Cooperation (AFoCo) organized an International Thematic Workshop on Forest Disaster Management in Southeast Asia: “Challenges and Way Forward in Forest Fire Management” and a Training Course “Training of Trainers on Forest Fire Management” in Seoul, 16-23 September 2014, in the frame of activities of the UNISDR Pan-Asia Wildland Fire Network.


Group of Trainees from ASEAN member states and instructors from the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks SE Asia, South Asia, NE Asia and Central Asia, and GFMC


AFoCo Photograph Exhibition “Efforts Against Forest Disasters”

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