3 anja hoffmann et al pedrr workshop session 2 [compatibility mode]

Wildland Fires and Ecosystem Services:

The Role of Fire Management in Stabilizing

Ecosystems and Reducing Wildfire and Ecosystems and Reducing Wildfire and

Secondary Disasters

Anja A. Hoffmann, Sundar P. Sharma, Nikola Nikolov, Alex Held

Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) / United Nations University

UNISDR) Global Wildland Fire Network and Wildland Fire Advisory Group

GOFC-GOLD Fire Implementation Team

The Role of Fire Management in Stabilizing Ecosystems and Reducing Wildfire and

Secondary Disasters

� The annual area burned globally ~ 366

Million hectare of vegetation

� Fire continent Africa ~ 175 million ha

annually, 37% of biomass worldwide

� Fire is ecological change agent in many fire

dependent eco-systems

The Different Faces of Fire – Fire is not just Fire

Anja A. Hoffmann, Alex C. Held, Nikola Nikolov, Sundar P. Sharma

dependent eco-systems

� Fire is an negative disturbance in fire

independent eco-systems

� Fire is a forest management tool (prescribed

burning)

� Fire is the primary land management tool

mainly in tropical and subtropical countries

� The timing of fire has a significant effect on

the impact


Secondary Disasters

Nikola Nikolov: Land-use change by rural

exodus affecting sustainable land use,

forestry and forest protection in the

Balkan region

Sundar P. Sharma: Increasing fragility,

vulnerability and fire susceptibility of

Himalaya mountain ecosystems to fire in

Nepal and neighbours


Anja A. Hoffmann: Rain forest and peat-

swamp biome

degradation, ecological, climate and

humanitarian consequences in Indonesia

Alexander Held: Fire dependent

ecosystems, degradation and fire use

through rural livelihoods by fire in

Southern Africa

The Role of Fire Management in Stabilizing Ecosystems and Reducing Wildfire and Secondary

Disasters

Rain Forest and peat-swamp biome degradation, ecological,

climate and humanitarian consequences in Indonesia

•Major fire events in

1982/83, 87, 91/92, 94/95, 97/98, 2006

• Economic damage was estimated to be US $ 9

Anja A. Hoffmann - Rain forest and peat-swamp biome degradation, ecological, climate and


©Jaxa, Google Earth; http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS/en/kc_mosaic/kc_mosaic.htm

Alos PalSAR 50m Mosaic 2008 (R: HH, G: HV, B: Ratio)

• Economic damage was estimated to be US $ 9

billion (Tacconi 2003)

•Carbon release puts Indonesia at third rank


Disasters

smoke haze

Underlying causes and impacts

• Small and large scale land use

management tool

• Hunting, fishing

• Clearance of vegetation, access

to and improvement of natural

resources

• Arson and accidents

Sundar P. Sharma - Increasing fragility, vulnerability and fire susceptibility of Himalaya

mountain ecosystems to fire in Nepal and neighbours

Vegetation type Sumatra Java Kalimantan Sulawesi West Papua Total

Mountain Forest 213194 100000 313.194

Lowland Forest 383000 25000 2690880 200000 300000 3.598.880

Wetland/ swamp Forest 624000 1100000 400000 2.124.000

Grass/shrubland 263000 25000 375000 100000 763.000

Plantation Forest 72000 883988 955.988

Estate Crop 60000 382509 1000 3000 446.509

Agriculture 669000 50000 2481808 199000 97000 3.496.808

Total 2.071000 100.000 8.127379 400.000 1.000000 11.698379

(Tacconi et al. 2003)

• Arson and accidents


Disasters

Fire Impacts


Disasters

Smoke & Haze Economic & Ecological

Transport



Courtesy G. Frederiksson

Courtesy B.Sanders

Courtesy G. Frederiksson

Health�firefighting costs, losses of agricultural and

plantation crops,

�short-term health damages,

�losses in tourism and transportation

revenues,

�losses in the forestry sector.

�not include long-term health costs, reduction

in ecological services, or biodiversity losses


Disasters

Energy10%

Agriculture

Greenhouse Gas emissions in

Indonesia (3,014 Mt CO2/yr)

Deforestation, forest degradation, peat drainage and

burning is 85% of Indonesia’s greenhouse gas

emissions (2,563 million t CO2 per year)

GHG Emissions and Climate Consequences



Peat land drainage

and burning

38%

Deforestation &

degradation

47%

Agriculture4%

Waste1%

Indonesia ranks as third largest GHG producer

primarily due to its high deforestation rate - about

85 percent result from fires and forest clearing. Source: Study released by the World Bank and the British government, 2007

Landsat TM


Disasters

Humanitarian Consequences

�Direct impact on crops

�Livelihood changes from forest products

to rice (sonor) to migratory labor (Chokkalingam 2009)

�Fire remains still only affordable land

management tool for communities

Need to improve community welfare,



�Need to improve community welfare,

provision of alternaitve sustainable

livelihoods outside wetlands

�Improve fire use and prevention of

escapes fires of communities (CBFiM)

�Review of large-scale land use

developments on wetland areas


Disasters

Existing (Fire) Monitoring System – Tools

� Active Fire monitoring: MODIS, MSG

� Burned Area:

MODIS, Landsat, Spot, RapidEye

� Fire Radiative Power: MODIS, MSG



� Deforestation & Degradation (Change of

Carbon stock, Baseline Map):

LIDAR, RapidEye, Landsat,

� Combination of various satellite sensors

� Fire Early Warning based on

weather/satellite data


Disasters

COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACH

TO WILDFIRE DRR IN NEPAL



Regional South Asia

Wildland Fire Network


Disasters

12 March 2009

141 Fires in past 24 hours

Increasing fragility, vulnerability and fire susceptibility of

Himalaya mountain ecosystems to fire in Nepal and neighbours



NASA’s Earth Observatory (MODIS Aqua), 12 March 2009


Disasters

Community-based Fire Management Training Course (Nepal)

• participatory approach

• aimed at a Community Forest User´s Group (CFUG)

• action planning



• action planning

• fire risk map

• replication principles


Disasters

• Local expertise in CBFiM -

taking a global leadership

Community-based Fire Management Training Course (Nepal)



• Formation of “Volunteer

Fire Management Group”


Disasters

Community-based Fire Management Planning (Model,

Nepal)

Principles

• include the perspectives of

all interest groups (inclusive

and gender balance)



• recognize indigenous

technical knowledge on fire

management


Disasters

Community-based Fire Management Planning

(Model, Nepal)Aims

• identify users, expectations (needs) of users and planning area

• identify physical features, conditions, zones, changes and contrasts in the village environment (tool: transect



environment (tool: transect walk)

• present and analyse information on land use, forests, water and other resources and risk zones (tool: participatory resource mapping)

• prepare 5-years action plan

15


Disasters

Conclusion

Wildland Fire Management involving local communities (CBFiMapproach) at Forest User’s Group level could be a best strategy to:

� increase resilience to community to wildfire disaster and its

secondary consequences like secondary disasters (soil

erosion, landslides, flooding, regional climate change due to



erosion, landslides, flooding, regional climate change due to

Atmospheric Brown Cloud (ABC) etc.)

� Optimize ecosystem services (support livelihoods to local

communities) through wise use of fires

� establish linkages of ecosystem services with wildland fires

management


Disasters

Macedonia Croatia

Land-use change by rural exodus affecting sustainable land use,

forestry and forest protection in the Balkan region

Nikola Nikolov - Land-use change by rural exodus affecting sustainable land use,


-

Serbia Caucasus

Southeast

European/Caucasus

Region

Number of

fires

Burned area

ha

Damages

€

Total 12 544 457 568,42 3-5 billion

Year

2007


Disasters



-

Bosnia and Herzegovina�Federacija Bosna - 140 000 ha (forest and forest land)

�Republika Srpska - 80 000 ha

Total: 220 000 ha

Mine situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatia - 954,5 km2 of mine suspected area

Mine situation in Croatia

Macedonia - about 100 km2 of contaminated area

Unexploded ordnance situation in

Macedonia

( First World War)

The situation with land mines in the

region of the Caucasus countries is very

complicated, as well.


Disasters



-


Disasters

ConclusionTo develop and introduce fire management practices in the abandoned andUXO/land mine contaminated ecosystems. It must be in agreement with thesocioeconomic situation of the region and to increase resilience of theseecosystems.



-


Disasters

Southern Africa: Fire dependent ecosystems, degradation

and fire use through rural livelihoods

• Distinctive wet and dry seasons

• Nearly all vegetation types are

Alexander Held - Fire dependent ecosystems, degradation and

fire use through rural livelihoods in Southern Africa

• Nearly all vegetation types are

fire adapted or fire depended

• Use of fire as a tool is a

widespread phenomenon

“…burning is our tradition”

MODIS fire data


Disasters

Early Season Fires

�Low intensity

�High frequency – low fuel load

�Resulting in stable healthy ecosystem(Except

Fynbos, Rain Forest)

Early Season Fires vs Late Season fires



Fynbos, Rain Forest)

Late Season Fires

�High Intensity

�Low frequency – high fuel load

�Degrading soil fertility, loss of trees

�Knock-on effects

Accidental fire in an African rural Environment


Disasters

Fire Management Challenges resulting from

�loss of traditional fire knowledge,

�poverty,

�armed conflict,



�HIV-AIDS,

�lack of capacity,

�resources,

�information and

�technical skills.


Disasters

� Reduce Wildfire Hazard

� Protect Life and Property

Objectives of a “FireWise Africa” initiative



� Maintain and enhance land use, tourism,

hunting, forestry, farming…

� Maintain and enhance ecosystems services•


Disasters

SAFNET, AFIS, AfriFireNEt, Working on Fire WoF, FireWise

Africa, SADC Fire Management Plan, Wildfire 2011, RFCC

Africa…..UN ISDR, FAO, UNDP, OCHA, UNEP, USAID, ITTO,

GTZ, t.b.c…..

Only a few initiatives produce results and progress….there

is light at the end of a very dark tunnel.



is light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

Fire Management is no rocket science and could be applied

at large scale with reasonable costs and greatest benefits

for livelihoods, ecosystems and climate.

Where is the mistake?


Secondary Disasters

See you at the next Forum of the

UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network


Come to Africa!

9-13 May 2011, Pilanesberg National Park – Sun City

South Africa

http://www.wildfire2011.org/


Secondary Disasters

Thank You for Your Attention

GFMC / UNISDR WFAG / GOFC-GOLD Fire Team



Secondary Disasters

CLIMATE CHANGE

Regional weather

patterns

Natural ignition sources

(e.g. lightening)

Change in GHG

emissions

Linkages between Climate, Vegetation, Livelihoods and Fire


FIRE

FREQUENCY, SEVERITY

AND BEHAVIOUR

Vegetation types

Fuel conditions

Livelihood opportunities

Land management

practices


Secondary Disasters

Fire! Don’t fight it, manage it!

5 Fire Management elements

• Analysis/Collection of data

• Prevention

RehabilitationAnalysis


• Prevention

• Preparedness

• Response/suppression

• Rehabilitation

Prevention

Preparedness

Response

Stakeholders involved are fire mandated governmental departments

at all admin. levels, local communities, private sector & others

Stakeholders involved are fire mandated governmental departments

at all admin. levels, local communities, private sector & others

Documents

3 anja hoffmann et al pedrr workshop session 2 [compatibility mode]