AROUND 250 delegates have gathered for day one at Wildfire2024 in Scotland to hear from global experts and their experiences of wildfire prevention across a range of landscapes in South Africa, Chile, Norway, Portugal, Canada and others.
The UK Wildfire Conference – Resilience in a Changing World in Aberdeen - today looked at using wildfire prevention techniques that reduce damage and create wildfire resilient communities by adopting traditional and new techniques.
The conference opened with an address by Jim Fairlie MSP, minister for agriculture and connectivity, who recognised that wildfires can have a significant impact on wildlife and environment as well as the economic and social costs to the communities affected by outbreaks of such a destructive force in our countryside.
He told delegates that Scotland needed to reduce the preventable wildfires that not only occur here in the country but throughout the developed world.
In recognising the predicted extension of the wildfire season due to climate change, Fairlie said that we could experience more sustained severe fire danger throughout the year.
Wildfires have the potential to burn for days, devastate huge areas of land and wildlife, and threaten the welfare of nearby communities.
He noted the work that event hosts, the Scottish Wildfire Forum ,carries out and its role in enhancing the partnership work with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and those with an interest in land management throughout Scotland.
Keynote speaker, Val Charlton of Landworks South Africa said: “Events like the UK Wildfire Conference are so important because it gives the community of practice, exposure to new ideas, progress and other people’s perspectives.
“Knowledge sharing is key for three reasons; firstly, it is important for the UK community to know that their challenges are not much different from the rest of the world; secondly it is clear that no single nation can win the battle again wildfires on their own - international cooperation is becoming increasingly important; and thirdly, the UK can avoid making the same mistakes – you can learn from others in terms of what works and what doesn’t.
“Globally, we should be placing much more emphasis upon reducing risk at landscape level and involving the people that live in those landscapes and in the natural/urban interface areas. We must make that paradigm shift from suppression focus to prevention focus.
“These challenges are global, but the UK has a fantastic opportunity to avoid repeating the same mistakes as other countries, if it places an emphasis on effective landscape and community planning, backed up with political support and good policies.”
Michael Bruce, Vice Chair of the Scottish Wildfire Forum added: “We have been treated today to a global perspective of wildfire by some of the leading lights in the sector. Tomorrow, we look forward to an equally rich programme of speakers who will be focussing on where we are in terms of wildfire risk and mitigation in the UK.
"We will also be discussing controlled burning and its role in building resilience into our landscapes.”
