Activities of the Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans Program (LFMWB) Presented in Sarajevo

Representatives of the Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans Program (LFMWB), funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) held a presentation of the implemented and planned activities in Sarajevo today. The activities aim to strengthen prevention and resilience to fires, rather than relying only on traditional fire suppression.

The Program is coordinated by Farmahem with technical support from Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and focuses on improving fire management through regional cooperation, policy strengthening, and active involvement of local communities.

Program Associate Kenan Solaković emphasized that the Program encourages cross-border cooperation among Western Balkan countries through the regional LFM network, which enables the exchange of expert knowledge, data, and policy coordination. The first phase of the Program included the development of a Gap Analysis and Strategy for Landscape Fire Management in the Federation of BiH, while the second phase plans concrete activities to address the identified gaps, with a particular emphasis on prevention.

Solaković highlighted that landscape fires in the region were increasingly a consequence of climate change, land-use changes, and prolonged droughts, and that the Program responds to this growing ecological and social risk. Partner institutions are the ministries responsible for forestry in the Western Balkan countries, while support for the Program is provided by international development stakeholders and scientific institutions, including the Bern University of Applied Sciences.

Special focus was on the role of local communities directly involved in designing and implementing fire management measures. By strengthening forest and landscape resilience, the Program contributes to protecting the socio-economic development and livelihoods of populations directly dependent on these resources.

The media were also invited to actively contribute to spreading stories about community resilience, cross-border cooperation, and innovations in fire management policies, through data-based reporting and stories of public interest.

Representatives of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry, as a partner institution on this project, thanked the media representatives for their participation, emphasizing their crucial role in raising public awareness, sharing good practices, and strengthening collective responsibility for fire prevention and sustainable landscape management.