FAO / GFMC / UNU TRAINING COURSE
FAO / GFMC / UNU Training Course for Instructors in Community Based Forest Fire Management (CBFiM)
Nelspruit, South Africa, 30 October-12 November 2004
The aim of the training course is to collate all information about community based forest fire management (CBFiM) in the region and analyse the experiences gained since the first landscape level projects were started in 1996.
Several reasons support the idea for this regional Workshop. Half of the global wildfires are burning annually in Africa; therefore the forestry professionals in this region, need to be looking for solutions to this problem beyond conventional fire management approaches, which only work in private plantations. To achieve sustainable management of fires in areas outside plantation forests, other solutions need to be sought; solutions that transfer the fire management responsibility to local communities and NGOs, women groups etc. There is a need to apply an ecosystem approach wherein all fires; regardless of its purpose (agriculture, land clearing, beekeeping, hunting, cooking, heating) are managed by the local people. With the national forestry departments as lead agency, all use of fire should be coordinated by a community level fire management unit.
The FAO and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) through the Regional Subsahara Africa Wildland Fire Network (AFRIFIRENET), which facilitates cooperation of fire management work in Africa, will involve the international community of forest fire scientists, managers, policy makers and NGOs in this workshop. The aim is to develop viable fire management options for the present socio-cultural conditions in rural Africa.
The training course will be held under the auspices of the United Nations University, Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).
- 6th Announcement of the Training Course (issued 24 September 2004; PDF, 300 KB)
- Registration Form (Word document, 34 KB)
Last day of the training: FAO and GFMC resource persons and course participants.
Photo: GFMC.
