Global Wildland Fire Network Activities 2019
Activities of the Global Wildland Fire Network in 2019
Note: Photographic documentation of some activities is posted on the GFMC Calendar 2019 or on special web pages of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks
28-30 January 2019
Second Workshop of the Thematic Working Group Vegetation (Landscape) Fire Crisis Mitigation (TWG-C) of the project FIRE-IN – Fire and Rescue Innovation Network, a project conducted in the frame of the EU Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 Secured Societies – Protecting Freedom and Security of Europe and its Citizens (SEC-21-GM-2016-2017 – Pan-European Networks of Practitioners and other Actors in the Field of Security), chaired by GFMC; Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Officiers de Sapeurs-Pompiers, Aix-en-Provence, France.
31 January 2019
Internal kickoff meeting of the implementation of the project “Network of European hubs for civil protection and crisis management”, with pilot hub “Wildfire Risk Management” (GFMC partner); Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Officiers de Sapeurs-Pompiers, Aix-en-Provence, France.
07-08 February 2019
Submission of the Report of the Committee on the Future of Landscape Fire Management and Wildfire Risk Reduction in Greece (GFMC Chair) to the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Alexis Tsipras, and the President of the Hellenic Parliament, Mr. Nikolaos Voutsis, and the leaders of the Parliamentary Commissions leaders (Mrs. Aikaterini Igglezi, MP and Chair of the Special Standing Committee on the Protection of the Environment; Mrs. Chara Kafantari, MP and Chair of the Standing Committee on Production and Commerce; Mr. Mr Antonios Syrigos, MP and Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Administration, Public Order and Justice); Briefing of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos; Press Conference and meeting with Members of the Hellenic Parliament; Maximos Mansion, Hellenic Parliament, Presidential Mansion (Proedrikό Mégaro), Athens, Greece.
23 February–03 March and 25-29 September2019
Field mission addressing fire management and policy development in Madagascar in the frame of the project “Projet d’appui pour le renforcement des capacités en économie de la gestion durable et de la dégradation des terres”, a cooperative project between the Laboratoire Terres Paysages et Développement (LLandDev) du Département des Eaux et Forêts, Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques (ESSA-Forêts), the German Development Corporation GIZ and the SV BoDeN Initiative “ELD et ProSol“; Antananarivo, Ankarafantsika (Tanà + Boeny), Madagascar.
10 March 2019
Visit of the Minister for Environment and Tourism, Members of the Parliament of Mongolia and the Director General of the MET Department of Forest Policy and Coordination and Director of the Regional Fire Management Resource Center – Central Asia Region (RFMR-CAR), Dr. Oyunsanaa Byambasuren, in Germany, with briefing and consultations on cooperation between GFMC and RFMR-CAR/MET; Frankfurt, Germany.
19-21 March 2019
Aerial Firefighting Conference Europe 2019, with GFMC / IFAWG contribution; Nimes, France
08 April 2019
Prescribed burning operations and suppression firing training in Oster Military Forest District conducted by GFMC; Oster Forest District, Ukraine.
09 April 2019
Second National Round Table “Fires in the Natural and Cultural Landscapes of Ukraine: Developing a National Policy for the Wildfires Management”: Consultation on the draft Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Concerning the Immediate Elimination of the Crisis Situation Due to Forest Fires”, and initiative of the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center with the support of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and the Council of Europe; Kyiv, REEFMC / National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU), Ukraine.
- https://nubip.edu.ua/en/node/57326
- First National Round Table 2017: https://nubip.edu.ua/en/node/38408
- First National Round Table 2017 Statement: http://gfmc.online/wp-content/uploads/REEFMC-GFMC-National-Round-Table-Fire-Management-26-Oct-2017-Statement-ENG.pdf
- http://nubip.edu.ua/en/reefmc
- https://www.openforest.org.ua/112140/
14-17 April and 15-17 July 2019
Follow-up activities of the project “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus”; Georgia.
- ENVSEC OSCE in the South Caucasus: An overview (PDF, 1.3 MB)
- ENVSEC OSCE in the South Caucasus: An overview (extract of wildland fire section) (PDF, 0.5 MB)
- OSCE Guide on Non-military Confidence Building-Measures (CBMs) (extract of South Caucasus wildland fire projects) (PDF, 0.6 MB)
13-17 May 2019
UNISDR Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2019, with GFMC participation (J.G. Goldammer) representing the Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN) and the Regional Fire Management Resource Centers; UN Geneva, Switzerland
- https://sendaicommitments.unisdr.org/commitments/20190222_001
- https://www.unisdr.org/conference/2019/globalplatform/home
- Second Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference (MHEWC-II) (12-13 May 2019)
- Science and Policy Forum (12-13 May 2019)
- Stakeholder Forum (12-13 May 2019): Stakeholder Statement with global landscape fire reference (PDF, 0.3 MB)
- Statements Session (with the Statement by the GFMC on behalf of the Global Wildland Fire Network and the International Wildfire Preparedness Mechanism) (PDF 0.4 MB)
- IGNITE Stage (with GFMC presentation “Building and Strengthening Green DRR Infrastructure at Landscape Level: Holistic and Inclusive Approaches in Landscape Fire Management”
- Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments Synthesis and Analysis Report 2019 (with review of GFMC contribution) (PDF, 7.8 MB)
- Review of GPDRR by the German Committee for Disaster Risk Reduction (DKKV) and GFMC (DKKV Newsletter June 2019, extract; PDF, 0.1 MB)
20-21 June 2019
International Seminar on Planning and Prevention of Landscape Fires and the Role of Landscape Restoration, organized by the Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) under the Initiative 20×20, sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, with GFMC GFMC opening keynote address “Landscape fires in the new landscape global scenario. Vision of the Global Fire Monitoring Center“; Santiago de Chile, Chile.
- Seminar agenda (PDF, 0.8 MB)
- CONAF website of the seminar, including video recording: http://www.conaf.cl/seminario-planificacion-y-prevencion-de-incendios-de-paisaje-y-el-rol-de-la-restauracion-post-incendios/
- Follow-up of the Wildfire Emergency in Chile 2017: The Second Regional Consultation on Cross-boundary Cooperation in Fire Management in South America; Viña del Mar, Chile. 2-3 October 2017
- More details on the Meetings Page of the Regional South America Wildland Fire Network
25-26 June 2019
Consultation Workshop on the development of a concept for a European Hub for Civil Protection and Crisis Management in the frame of the implementation of the project Network of European Hubs for Civil Protection and Crisis Management, with pilot hub Wildfire Risk Management (GFMC partner); Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
01-05 July 2019
Toxic Industrial Material Reconnaissance & Assessment Course (TIMRAC) 2019 under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), with GFMC Contribution on “Wildfire Hazards Resulting from Collateral Damages of Armed Conflicts and Post-Conflict Threats by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and Land Mines”; Vienna, Austria.
- OSCE Guide on Non-military Confidence Building-Measures (CBMs) (extract of South Caucasus wildland fire projects) (PDF, 0.6 MB)
- http://gfmc.online/globalnetworks/seeurope/SEEurope_8.html
- Prescribed burning on terrain contaminated by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) (2016, in English) (PDF, 6.1 MB)
- GFMC / OSCE report ”Best practices and recommendations for wildfire suppression in contaminated areas, with focus on radioactive terrain” (Goldammer, J.G., Kashparov, V., Zibtsev, S., Robinson, S., Freiburg-Basel-Kyiv, 53. p.) (PDF, 3.1. MB)
01-04 July 2019
GFMC support for wildfire assessment and incident management on the former Luebtheen military exercise area and weapons depot, with heavy explosions threatening the safety of local populations and firefighters. Deployment of the armoured firefighting system developed by DiBuKa and GFMC; Luebtheen, Germany.
- http://gfmc.online/globalnetworks/seeurope/SEEurope_8.html
- Prescribed burning on terrain contaminated by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) (2016, in English) (PDF, 6.1 MB)
- https://www.dibuka.de/
24-28 August 2019
All-Russian conference with international participation, dedicated to 75th anniversary of V. N. Sukachev Institute of Forest SB RAS “Forest Ecosystems of Boreal Zone: Biodiversity, Bioeconomy, Ecological Risks”, with GFMC contribution “Evaluation of achievements in nature-based fire management and development of future cooperative approaches at the science-policy interface in Siberia and adjoining regions of Central Asia”; Sukachev Institute of Forest, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation.
27 August 2019
Round Table “Evaluation of achievements in nature-based fire management and development of future cooperative approaches at the science-policy interface in Siberia and adjoining regions of Central Asia”; Sukachev Institute of Forest, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation.
27 August 2019
Opening of the Regional Eurasia Fire Monitoring Center (REFMC) und the auspices of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and the Global Wildland Fire Network, with support of the Council of Europe (EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement); Sukachev Institute of Forest, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation.
- http://gfmc.online/globalnetworks/globalnet.html
- http://gfmc.online/programmes/europe-org/coe.html
- https://europa-projects.ext.coe.int/en/centre/18-global-fire-monitoring-center.html
10 September 2019
2nd International Conference on Tropical Silviculture (ICTS 2019), with GFMC/GWFN contribution “Revisit of the “Freiburg Declaration on Tropical Fires” of 1989: The Initiation of an International Agenda in Global Landscape Fire Science and Fire Management”; Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Bogor, West Java, Indonesia.
- Conference flyer (PDF, 0.8 MB)
- Conference agenda (PDF, 0.3 MB)
11 September 2019
Ceremony of handing over the Global Landscape Fire Award 2019, sponsored by the Global Wildland Fire Network to the laureate Dr. Ir. Siti Nurbaya, MSc, Minister for Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia, and Certificates of Distinction for Prof. Dr. Ir. Bambang Hero Saharjo, M.Agr., Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), and Dr. Ir. Raffles Brotestes Panjaitan, MSc, Director of Forest and Land Fire Management, Directorate General of Climate Change, Ministry for Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia; Jakarta, Indonesia.
- Award ceremony website (GFMC Press Release)
17 September 2019
Meeting with Executive Director of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Dr. Gerhard Dieterle, with GFMC, concerning coordinated response to the fire situation in South America and the opportunities in implementing the Declaration of Viña del Mar 2017 on Cross-Boundary Cooperation in Fire Management in South America and other joint activities; GFMC.
- https://www.itto.int/
- http://gfmc.online/programmes/itto/itto_start.html
- http://www.otca-oficial.info/ / http://www.otca-oficial.info/
- Special web page of the Second Regional Consultation on Regional Cooperation in Cross-boundary Fire Management in South America
10-12 October 2019
Implementation of the Fire Management Support Component for Georgia in the frame of the regional programme Integrated Biodiversity Management in the South Caucasus (IBiS) (GIZ): Training course for fire management personnel in Kvareli and finalization of fire management plan for Dedoplistskaro Municipality, Kakheti region; Kvareli and Dedoplistskaro, Georgia.
- GFMC/GIZ Report Wildfires in Dedoplistskaro Municipality, Shiraki Valley, Georgia: Rationale and Proposal for a Fire Management Concept (Georgian, PDF, 3.7 MB)
- GFMC/GIZ Report Wildfires in Dedoplistskaro Municipality, Shiraki Valley, Georgia: Rationale and Proposal for a Fire Management Concept (English, PDF, 2.2 MB)
- http://gfmc.online/eurofire/ef_geo.html
22 October 2019
Meeting of the Technical Working Group on Sendai Hazard Definitions and Classification, co-facilitated by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the International Science Council (ISC), tasked with developing new hazard definitions and classifications; WMO, Geneva, Switzerland.
25 October 2019
German Parliament (Bundestag) thematic conference “Impacts of Climate Change on Landscape Fires: Challenges and Solutions for Germany and the European Union” (Fachkonferenz „Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf Landschaftsbrände – Herausforderungen und Lösungsansätze für Deutschland und die EU“), organized by the Parliamentary Party The Liberals (Freie Demokratische Partei – FDP) in cooperation with GFMC; Deutscher Bundestag, Europe Hall / Europa-Saal, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany.
28 October – 01 November 2019
Seventh International Wildland Fire Conference (IWFC 7); Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Websites and post-conference activities
- https://www.ibama.gov.br/wildfire2019-eng
- IWFC Portal with updated post-conference information
- Proceedings Part I (Abstract Volume) (PDF, 23 MB)
- Campo Grande Statement “Building Sustainable and Fire-Resilient Societies and Landscapes
- GFMC Interview by the Brazilian Journal O Globo (PDF)
13-14 November 2019
Meeting of the CTIF Forest Fires Commission of the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (Comité Technique International de Prevention et d’Extinction de Feu – CTIF). Theme: Operational organization in the field in very large forest Fires. How to prepare for “The big One”?, with GFMC contributions Landscape fires in Germany 2018-2019: Small size, long duration, extreme impacts and challenges and Global Landscape Fires in 2019: Ridge Walk between Reality, Media Hype and Political-Public Response; Sintra, National Firefighter School, Portugal.
- http://ctif-forest-fires-commission.spis.hvz.hr/
- http://ctif-forest-fires-commission.spis.hvz.hr/meeting-sintra-2019-1
- CTIF Forest Fires Commission 2019 Fall Meeting Agenda (PDF)
- CTIF Forest Fires Commission 2019 Fall Meeting Booklet (PDF)
14 November 2019
Planning meeting for the 8th International Wildland Fire Conference; Lisbon, Portugal.
13 December 2019
Meeting of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Environmental Management of the Parliament of Ukraine (Verkhovna Rada) at Boyarka Forest Research Station, with a visit of the members of the Parliament at an exposition of the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC). During the meeting the draft Law of Ukraine on Improvement of Fire Management in the Cultural and Natural Landscapes, developed with the support of the Council of Europe (EUR-OPA) and the GFMC, and the plans to establish a Fire Research and Training Center in Boyarka Station was presented to parliament members. It was agreed that the Law need to be presented for Parliament for implementation and to prepare a meeting of the Committee devoted to address landscape fires with representatives of REEFMC.


Country representatives from nine South American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) agreed on the “Viña del Mar Declaration on Cross-boundary Cooperation in Fire Management”. Photo: CONAF.
Aaron Cavieres, Executive Director of Corporacion Nacional Forestal (CONAF) opened the consultation. Photo: CONAF.
From left to right: Patricio Sanhueza (Chairman), Ricardo Toro (Executive Director, Oficina Nacional de Emergencia del Ministerio del Interior – ONEMI), Johann G. Goldammer (GFMCC) and Aaron Cavieres (CONAF). Photo: CONAF.[/caption]
Signing of a cooperation agreement between CONAF (A. Cavieres) and GMFC (J.G. Goldammer). Photo: CONAF.










