Between May 16 and 19, the 8th International Conference on Forest Fires (held every four years) was held in Porto (Portugal), under the theme: “Towards the development of an international framework for landscape fire governance”

The post-conference statement established that:

“The conference discussed governance principles and guidelines, necessary to further develop institutional arrangements and policies to address the consequences of environmental and socio-economic changes and climate change on fire regimes, systemic risk of forest fires and fire management in the natural, cultural, urban-industrial and landscapes, on a global scale.

 The conference mobilized fire management experts, including policymakers, scientists, operational professionals, and technicians from around the world. As with previous conferences between 1989 and 2019, the event served as a forum for the exchange of experiences among representatives of national agencies, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders.

 The main topics of the conference included the application of governance principles, with an emphasis on Integrated Fire Management, ecosystem-based solutions, stakeholders, participation, inclusion, prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. Speakers explained the measures that must be taken to prevent and mitigate the effects of wildfires on the environment, society, and security on a global scale, and to promote the environmentally and socially benign use of fire in land management.

 Following up on and in line with the declarations of the 6th and 7th International Forest Fire Conferences and in preparation for the Porto conference, the document “Framework for Landscape Fire Governance – Guiding principles for adjusting strategies, policies and management to global change” was prepared, circulated and discussed among experts and governmental and non-governmental institutions.

 Upon revisiting the document at the conference, participants concluded that the Framework should be taken to the United Nations and international and regional intergovernmental organizations, so that it may be formally recognized as a guiding framework for improving governance in Integrated Fire Management.

 As administrator of the International Conferences on Forest Fires, the International Liaison Committee (ILC) coordinated the development of a global declaration, shown as an outcome of each conference.

 These findings have been used to inform important UN documents, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Climate Agreement. In this context, the ILC can and will administer the Landscape Fire Governance Framework. Individual and organizational members of the ILC will work to secure endorsement by the appropriate UN bodies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), with support from the Fire Advisory Group and the Global Forest Fire Network.

Twelve people from our country attended, representing the different public institutions with responsibility in the area (SINAE, DNB, DGF of the MGAyp), the SPF and companies participating in the O-PAIF, as well as service providers to it.

The conference provided a space for more than 1,300 participants to attend more than 65 presentations by over 200 speakers, 280 E-Posters were displayed, and there were 40 exhibitions of machines, equipment, and different solutions, provided by the 15 sponsors who supported it.

In summary, the main focus was on prevention as a fundamental aspect of addressing the climate variability that affects us so greatly. Topics such as fuel management and working with communities to maintain a safe environment were highlighted and repeated in several presentations.

Prior to the conference (on Monday the 15th), the members of the delegation related to SPF went to the city of Figueira da Foz, where they held a meeting with AFOCELCA, a group of Portuguese companies with a purpose and device of fire protection, similar to those of the trade association.

In the cordial meeting held with the Operational Director and the Technical Operational Coordinator of that institution, it was possible to establish similarities between both operations, means and solutions used to prevent and combat forest fires, as well as discuss the importance of anticipation and preparation to avoid this scourge of our activity.