While EU agriculture ministers were discussing the future post-2020 EU forestry strategy, expected in the first quarter of 2021, the European Commission published new guidelines on Monday 22 March to facilitate a better understanding land-based wildfire prevention and effective responses.
These guidelines are set out in a booklet entitled ‘Principles and experiences on managing landscapes, forests and woodlands to strengthen safety and resilience in Europe’.
They point towards prevention measures that can be taken through governance, planning and forest management, and outline how EU Member States can access EU funding for wildfire resilience and work together at EU level.
The paper analyses the interconnected factors behind this increase in recent years on the impact of forest fires on people and nature. It also provides an overview of existing principles and experiences on managing landscapes, forests and woodlands.
The new EU forestry strategy should be consistent with the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy to 2030 and the EU’s medium and long-term climate objectives (see EUROPE 12647/13).
See the guidelines: http://bit.ly/3rd3Eai (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)