FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa

Workshop on Integrated Fire Management: Good Practices and Knowledge Sharing in the Near East and Mediterranean Countries

Virtual Event, 12/02/2025 - 15/02/2025

©FAO/Kai Wiedenhoefer

The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region is increasingly vulnerable to wildfires due to climate change, unsustainable land use, and growing environmental pressures. To strengthen regional collaboration and improve wildfire prevention, response, and post-fire restoration, RNE, in partnership with Silva Mediterranea and the National Agency of Water and Forestry of Morocco, is hosting this workshop. 

This event marks the first in-person meeting of the Near East Network on Wildlands Forest Fire (NENFIRE), bringing together fire management experts, policymakers, and practitioners from across the region and Mediterranean countries. The workshop will focus on knowledge exchange, best practices, and capacity-building in post-fire restoration while reviewing the Five-Year Roadmap for Integrated Fire Management (2024–2029). Sessions will introduce FAO’s tools for ecosystem restoration and fire risk management, explore successful restoration practices, and enhance regional coordination. 

Agenda overview 

12 Feb- 9:00-12:15 

  • Official Opening 
  • Overview of NENFIRE Regional Activities 
  • NENFIRE Roadmap & Action Plan Discussion 
  • Global Fire Management Hub Presentation 
  • Panel Discussion: Integrated Fire Management Strategies 

 

14 Feb – 9:00-16:00 

  • Introduction to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 
  • Post-fire ecosystem restoration 
  • Overview of post-fire ecosystem dynamics 
  • Role of forest genetic resources (FGR) in post-fire restoration 
  • Cross-learning - Integrated fire management (IFM) best practices 
  • Country presentations 
  • Survey review and validation 
  • Needs assessment and open discussion 
  • Decision-making challenges in post-fire restoration. 


15 Feb – 9:00-16:00 

  • Introduction to the framework for ecosystem restoration monitoring platform (FERM); 
  • Decision-making on post-fire restoration; 
  • Cross-learning between Near East Network for Wildlands Forest Fire (NENFIRE) and Silva Mediterranea - Integrated fire management (IFM) best practices for post-fire restoration; 
  • FERM registration and data entry support; 
  • Introduction to FAO geospatial tools; 
  • Post-fire restoration guidance document;  
  • Key learnings, NENFIRE and global fire management hub future collaborations.