Event

Publicado em 21/12/2022 19h43 Atualizado em 08/03/2023 12h08

Event

The main objective of the International Wildland Fire Conference (IWFC) is an exchange of opportunities among professionals of all nationalities related to fire management and forest fire control.

The participants are managers, authorities, technicians, researchers, brigades and firefighter. Among the conference's activities are the debate and dissemination of work on the impacts of fire on communities and ecosystems in various regions of the world.

The Conference promotes international cooperation and humanitarian aid, consolidating the global strategy for fire management. The event also opens space for companies, research institutions and experts to expose new technologies, products and methods for fire management and forest fire control.

Previous Editions

The International Wildland Fire Conferences were launched in 1989. The conferences aim to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and expertise in landscape fire policies, researches, management and capacity building in an international forum that will strengthen the abilities of individual nations to reduce the negative impacts of landscape fires on environment and humanity; and to advance the knowledge and application of the positive ecological and environmental role of fire in fire-dependent ecosystems, as well as sustainable application of fire in land-use systems.

1989: 1st International Wildland Fire Conference - Boston, USA

The IWFC emerged as a response to various wildland fires that occurred around the world during the 80s. In order to establish international cooperation for fighting this type of disaster, representatives of government entities and private institutions from the United States, Canada and Mexico conceived the first edition of the International Wildland Fire Conference. Hosted in Boston, USA, in the year of 1989, under the theme "Meeting Global Wildland Fire Challenges: The People, The Land, The Resources", the 1st edition of Wildfire brought together participants from 33 countries.

Details of the conference available in: IWFC 1 – 1989 (Boston, U.S.A.)

1997: 2nd International Wildland Fire Conference - Vancouver, Canada

The 2nd edition of IWFC met the demand for reviewing and reinforcing the international cooperation strategies on landscape fire brought by the United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. Hosted in Vancouver (Canada) in 1997 under the theme "Wildland Fire and Sustainable Development", the conference brought together 565 representatives from public and private sectors and scientists from 38 countries. During this edition, it was decided to make the conference regular and permanent,, with the objective of evaluating the contemporary scenario of landscape fires and the progress achieved in the area, re-evaluating the strategies proposed for international cooperation on fighting these disasters.

Details of the conference available in: IWFC 2 – 1997 (Vancouver, Canada)

2003: 3rd International Wildland Fire Conference - Sidney, Australia

The 3rd IWFC was hosted in Sydney, Australia, in 2003, under the theme "Fire Management and Sustainable Development: Strengthening International Cooperation to Reduce the Negative Impacts of Wildfires on Humanity and the Global Environment". The 3rd edition of the conference brought together representatives from a number of countries and focused on assessing the progress made in the implementation of international cooperation strategies. Several bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements were established between 1997 and 2003, which created the so-called Regional Forest Fire Networks. The implementation of these agreements evidences the achievement of the objective of global cooperation on fighting wildland fires.

Details of the conference available in: IWFC 3 – 2003 (Sydney, Australia)

2007: 4th International Wildland Fire Conference - Seville, Spain

The 4th IWFC, hosted in Seville (Spain) in 2007, under the theme "Forest Fires and Sustainable Development", brought together 1,531 participants from 88 countries, with representatives from the public, private and scientific sectors,. During this edition, participants presented the achievements on fire management, and exposed the latest technologies and techniques for forest fire monitoring, suppression and management. During this edition, the Alliance for Fire Management Actions was created with the objective of promoting, implementing and updating the guidelines of volunteers to combat forest fires.

Details of the conference available in: IWFC 4 – 2007 (Sevilla, Spain)

2011: 5th International Wildland Fire Conference - Sun City, South Africa

The 5th edition of IWFC, based in Sun City, South Africa, in 2011, addressed the close relationship that mankind has developed with fire since it was discovered, having acquired an essential role for cultural practices and cultivation of the soil. Under the theme "Living with Fire: Addressing Global Change through Integrated Fire Management", the conference brought together 500 representatives from 61 countries who elaborated on both the need for the wise use of fire in sustainable management of natural and cultural ecosystems, and on the adverse effects of wildfires at local to global scales.. In addition, the leaders of the participating countries recognized the importance of international cooperation in combating wildland fire and how mutual aid experiences are making the difference in face of such disasters.

Details of the conference available in: IWFC 5 – 2011 (Sun City, South Africa)

2015: 6th International Wildland Fire Conference - Pyeongchang, South Korea

In a year in which several large-scale wildland fire took place around the world, the 6th edition of IWFC, hosted in Pyeongchang (South Korea) in 2015, discussed the main theme "Fire of the Past, Fire in the Future", proposing a reflection about the changes in human habits in relation to fire-use throughout history. During the conference, participants from 73 countries discussed the large-scale forest fires in recent years at local and global levels and discussed current climate change, both as a cause and as a consequence of the high number of wildland fires, and the human responsibility for this scenario. Scientists and world leaders have proposed measures to be taken to combat both wildland fires and fire management from the perspective that fire does not respect political boundaries, so effective international cooperation is so important.

Details of the conference available in: IWFC 6 – 2015 (Pyeongchang, South Korea)