Ronald L. Myers.
The Nature Conservancy, Tallahassee, FL.
| Large, destructive wildfires-like those that burned millions of hectares
of forests, savannas and grasslands in Brazil, Central America, Mexico,
Russia, Indonesia, China, Europe, Africa and the U.S. from 1997 through
2002-captured the attention of the world and increased awareness among
decision-makers. However, despite several global commissions and many
studies, only moderate progress has been made. The causes of altered fire
regimes-that is, too much, too little or the wrong kind of fire-are complex
and multifold, ranging from escaped fires set by local agriculturists
that burn vast areas of tropical forests during droughts, to national
fire policies that favor active suppression of even beneficial wildfires
and traditional fire uses. The conservation implications of altered fire
regimes at the global scale are unknown, but regional and local studies
are unambiguous; the threat appears both severe and vast. In recognition
of this, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) established a Global Fire Initiative
in 2002 to work with a wide variety of partners around the world to make
tangible progress.
TNC will target some 200 large landscape-scale projects around the world that will represent at least 100 million hectares of representative ecosystems where altered fire regimes pose risks to both ecological health and community values. We are already working with managers and communities at 75 places to assess needs, build capacity, establish a solid scientific foundation, and find sustainable solutions. At the same time, we will leverage these site-level investments by means of 5-10 "fire learning networks," each with the goal of rapidly disseminating innovations and lessons learned among community practitioners and managers, increasing awareness among decision-makers of the costs, benefits and consequences of fire, and building constituencies of informed and influential partners. We currently are working with a variety of sponsors on networks in the U.S., Mexico, Caribbean and Central America. In recognition of the importance of government, regional and multi-lateral organization policies and programs, we also are joining forces with The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) on a joint project to build and sustain awareness among policy makers of fire-related conservation challenges and needs. In many parts of the world, lack of a solid scientific foundation is a barrier and we are partnering with scientists to identify and fill critical gaps in understanding, including for example working with U.S. government agencies on regional fuels mapping. Lastly, lack of training has been identified by a number of studies as a barrier to implementation and we are partnering with national governments and local partners to sponsor training programs and establish mentoring and exchange programs. |