Project Summary

Forest fires are one of the most severe disasters affecting the IPA ADRION area. They reduce forest cover, threaten biodiversity and contribute to CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. It is therefore necessary to develop joint activities or coordinated measures to prevent the risk of forest fires and to identify possible nature-based solutions. RES2FIRE is placed in this perspective, with the common challenge of identifying common practices at transnational level that will allow a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of forest fires in the programme area, in order to increase the resistance and resilience of fire-prone ecosystems and to counteract the effects of climate change (CC). The joint solutions developed in RES2FIRE will address prevention through vegetative fuel management and, in particular, close-to-nature silvicultural interventions that can increase the resilience and resistance of ecosystems. This nature-based approach is crucial as it aligns management goals with the multiple functions of ecosystems, using minimal interventions to support natural processes.The objective of RES2FIRE is to develop common solutions, procedures and methodologies to address the risk of forest fires in the IPA ADRION programme area. Achieving this goal will allow for an in-depth understanding of fire risk and the identification of ecosustainable measures to reduce the number, extent and severity of damages caused by wildfires, as well as to increase the resilience of ecosystems affected by wildfires. This is particularly relevant in the Mediterranean region, where we expect an ever-increasing rise in temperatures and heat waves, a reduction in water availability and changes in rainfall patterns, leading to more frequent and intense fire events. The solutions jointly developed by RES2FIRE will strengthen the capacity of managing authorities and decision makers to take appropriate measures to prevent and reduce the risk of forest fires, to adapt to climate change and to increase resilience. The outputs of the project are: (i) Methodology for mapping Fire Hazard and Fire Risk in a changing climate; (ii) RES2FIRE Network; (iii) 4 Pilot actions on fuel treatment and sustainable management of forests and wildland-urban interfaces; (iv) 4 Jointly developed solutions to identify close-to-nature silvicultural models for reducing fire risk; (v) Model for wildfire damage and resilience assessment; (vi) RES2FIRE WebGIS tool for fire risk assessment, mitigation and climate change adaptation; (vii) Action plan for transferring measures addressed to wildfire risk prevention, mitigation and Climate Change adaptation. In particular, the jointly developed solutions and action plan will foster the transferability and the adoption of RES2FIRE outcomes not only in the partner countries but in the whole IPA ADRION area. The results of RES2FIRE can benefit a wide range of stakeholders, including regional decision-makers, managers of national parks and protected areas, municipalities, technical staff responsible for the management of forests in the partner countries, civil protection services for prevention and forecasting activities, and environmental associations promoting awareness of the correct use of public goods for protection. The approach taken by RES2FIRE to develop and implement strategies, action plans, tools, training and pilot actions is transnational, because only through joint activities or coordinated actions, such as standardising procedures, harmonising data or jointly developing solutions, is it possible to increase the institutional capacity of organisations, especially in the IPA countries, to fill the existing gaps in effectively preventing the risk of forest fires and identifying possible nature-based solutions throughout the IPA ADRION area. The transnational approach is necessary to find cross-border solutions to common challenges in the programme region, such as forest fires. The RES2FIRE project aims to increase resilience to natural and man-made disasters in areas prone to forest fires by adopting common solutions, tools and action plans to effectively combat forest fires. The novelty of RES2FIRE lies in the bottom-up strategy applied to forest fire prevention and mitigation through a collaborative network of relevant stakeholders, including national parks, protected forest areas, municipalities, fire brigades and so on. This approach will have a leverage effect beyond the life of the project, supporting the whole system of stakeholders in the IPA ADRION region.