Khaberni - As wildfires escalate at an alarming rate due to climate change and human pressures, attention turns towards a new regional initiative aiming to redraw the equation for dealing with this growing environmental hazard, by shifting from reactive measures to a proactive, integrated approach in Jordan and other Arab countries.
The project "Strategic Integration of Operational and Legal Frameworks to Enhance Resilience and Manage Forest Fires in the Mediterranean Region", which spans four years, not only diagnoses challenges but also proposes a scientific and practical framework that enhances prevention, response, and recovery, aiming to reduce the impacts and costs of fires by up to 25%, according to Al-Ghad.
The project, which has a financial value of 2.7 million euros, with the European Union contributing 89%, will provide a comprehensive inventory of fire management tools and technologies in Cyprus, Greece, Lebanon, Jordan, France, and Palestine, establishing a scientific and policy framework that guides prevention, response, and rehabilitation efforts after fires.
The project, implemented by the Wadi Environmental Science Systems Development Association in Jordan, will spawn a central electronic platform for stakeholders in fire management, in addition to implementing a training program for professionals and local communities.
The project also strives to prepare policy recommendations and an operational roadmap for managing forest fires.
Among the challenges cited by participants during the project's launch in Jordan, attended by stakeholders yesterday, are the increasing frequency and intensity of forest fires in Jordan and the Mediterranean Basin, due to climate change and human pressures, along with rising economic losses, risks to local communities, and ecosystem degradation.
The "Integration" project is a regional initiative aimed at enhancing the ability to adapt to forest fires in the Mediterranean Basin, by merging scientific knowledge with institutional frameworks, public policies, and operational practices.
The project aims to adopt an integrated and proactive approach to preventing forest fires and managing and restoring ecosystems.
The project works to build capacity, reduce the impacts of forest fires, and enhance readiness for prevention, response, and long-term recovery.
This project will benefit public administrations, fire services, forestry firefighting services, emergency services, local authorities, and environmental and non-governmental organizations, in addition to local communities and the private sector.
Tariq Abu Talib, Executive Director at the Wadi Association for the Development of Environmental Science Systems, emphasized that the project's main focus is on comprehensively dealing with forest fires in a proactive manner, through early warning systems, and also after fires occur.
He noted that Jordan faces several threats affecting the forestry sector and the environment in general, while studies indicate that vegetation cover has declined by 25% over the past twenty years.
He added that these figures "sound an alarm bell", especially since Jordan is home to about 2,600 species of native plants and 40 species of trees, all threatened with extinction due to fires, climate change, drought, and deforestation.
He mentioned that the project aims to restore ecosystems by producing high-quality forest seedlings, with the aim of planting them in various regions of Jordan in cooperation with partners and local communities.
The "Strategic Integration" project is one of the important projects funded by the European Union, as it seeks to promote sustainable development and preserve vital environments, particularly forests, according to the European Union representative and coordinator of the European Regional Cooperation Program for the Mediterranean Basin (Interreg NEXT MED), Engineer Ismat Karadsheh.
He pointed out that forests face many challenges, most notably fires that destroy their environment, in addition to their future implications in exacerbating the effects of climate change.
He added that cooperation between stakeholders in forest management and preservation in Jordan, along with coordination between various concerned sectors, is essential, so that each entity has specific roles and tasks.
Forest fires are considered one of the most dangerous environmental phenomena, affecting wild plants, trees, organic materials, and forest or natural areas, resulting from natural factors such as lightning and high temperatures, or due to human activity, whether intentional or unintentional, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture.
These fires are classified among the most significant environmental risks for their devastation of the ecosystem, vegetation cover, and wildlife, in addition to their negative effects on public health, property, and the national economy, according to the same data presented during the workshop.
