SIMMER

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SIMMER - Strategic Integration of Operational and Legal Frameworks for Enhanced Resilience and Management of Mediterranean Wildfires

  • Role: Partner
  • Period: 2025-2028
  • Co-Funded by: The European Union

Wildfires in the Mediterranean region are increasingly recognized as a critical aspect of climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention. The area burned by forest and wildland fires in the Mediterranean basin in 2023 alone exceeded 490,000 hectares. The situation is expected to deteriorate due to rapidly rising temperatures, leading to heatwaves, extended droughts, and consequently increased risk and scale of wildfires. The current approaches to manage wildfires in the Mediterranean basin invest heavily in trying to combat fires with fire brigade resources, rather than preventing them through better protection of ecosystems and inclusion of local communities and forestry agencies in a standardized manner during the prevention phase. There is also a significant gap between research and operation in disaster risk prevention and management.

We aim to:

• To develop a science-policy framework for fire management regarding prevention, response, and post-fire restoration strategies. • To simulate prevention, response, and restoration exercises in selected pilot areas. • To implement pilot activities in Greece (prescribed burning), Cyprus (Volunteer Group for prevention issues), Jordan (grazing), Palestine (Community training on prevention and response) and Lebanon (volunteer training on post-fire assessment). Each pilot will be co-designed by at least 2 partners or associated partners.

Learn more here: https://www.interregnextmed.eu/project-page/simmer/about/