Latin American and Caribbean countries are investing in forest fire prevention by collaborating with experts from the European Union. One example of this is the creation of the Group of Experts on Forest Fires in Latin America and the Caribbean (GEFF LAC), composed of fire managers from relevant ministries and agencies. The group is responsible for advising, guiding and supporting international collaboration and fire-related policy development in the region to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices on forest fire management, which, together with the harmonised information provided by the Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), could lead to strategic actions to minimise the impact of forest fires in the region and improve fire policies at national and regional level. The exchange of knowledge and best practices is at the core of this initiative.
At the 5th Expert Group Meeting on Wildland Fire (7 November 2023), the GEFF LAC, in agreement with the moderators, established different working groups for the purpose of examining areas of interest and priority of Integrated Fire Management (IFM).
The main characteristics of the GEFF LAC are as follows:
Facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices on forest fire management.
Improve fire policies at national and regional level, and minimise the damage caused by forest fires in the region.
1) Assist LAC countries in the preparation of policy proposals and initiatives in the area of integrated fire management, including prevention and monitoring, with the support of the European Union, international organisations such as FAO and UNEP and regional organisations such as ACTO.
2)Receive information and interact with international organisations, other regional groups and contribute to the dissemination of information/knowledge on integrated fire management.
3)Promote the exchange of experiences and good practices in the area of integrated fire management (knowledge, prevention, monitoring and any other aspect related to the integrated use of fire in the region).
GEFF LAC has developed a program of collaboration activities in the context of the main challenges of Integrated Fire Management (IFM) in the LAC region. The program was formulated through an inclusive and transparent process that involved extensive consultations and meetings between the countries and organizations involved in the initiative.
Each group is assigned various activities to work on according to an established plan.
| Groups | Activities Program | Main coordinators |
|---|---|---|
| Group - 1 |
Forest fire prevention ▾
|
Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru |
| Group - 2 |
Ecosystem restoration ▾
|
Brazil and Peru |
| Group - 3 |
Information systems and fire-fighting support ▾
|
Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Colombia |
| Group - 4 |
Collaborative firefighting operational training ▾
|
Brazil, Chile and Colombia |
| Group - 5 |
Bases for national and regional policy ▾
|
Ecuador and Uruguay |
| Group - 6 |
Co-operation projects not included in the previous themes ▾
|
Brazil, Ecuador and Peru |
In the context of international collaboration, the dissemination and visualisation of existing initiatives promotes and facilitates the articulation of activities between actors. The actions map seeks to disseminate the experiences and good practices carried out in the LAC countries belonging to the GEFF in the field of forest fire management, as well as to facilitate the establishment of strategic alliances.
Most of the programmes, instruments and organisations presented below can be consulted in the attached table for further information.
LAC Forest Fire Expert Group countries
[O]: Main responsible organisations
[A]: Main actions implemented or ongoing
[H]: Main instruments developed