WWF Greece Reiterates Call for New Fire Prevention Plan

Photo source: WWF/ Photo by Apollon Gerolympos.

WWF Greece reiterated its call on the government to enter constructive dialogue with all stakeholders and decide on a fire prevention plan for the years ahead as the climate crisis takes hold.

The call comes after dozens of fires continue to burn parts of Greece for the eighth consecutive day exacerbated by extremely high temperatures and fanned by gusts of wind. These fires come on top of those that devastated large parts of the country in 1981, 1995, 1998, 2007, 2018, 2021 and 2022.

In 2019, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) had urged Mediterranean country governments to take immediate action and formulate fire prevention strategies. Indicatively, more than 80 percent of Europe’s total burnt land is in the Mediterranean.

Fire Lookout Tower.

WWF Greece adds that in the last week, more than 35,000 hectares of woodland have gone up in flames and that 95 percent of rural area fires every year are human induced.

“We need to work and plan for the future, not with the goal of eliminating forest fires, but with the goal of limiting the negative consequences on forest ecosystems and on our lives,” said WWF Greece in its statement.

“The climate crisis is not setting fires in the forests. The climate crisis is making our forests more vulnerable; it is also making them more valuable …this is something that should be central to our future national strategy for forest fire protection,” it said.

Photo source: NOFFI.

In this direction, WWF Greece has tabled proposals to the overseeing ministry. Among others, it is calling for:

– the formulation of a long-term National Fire Protection Plan that includes the active participation of society

– location-specific Fire Protection Plans

– moving ahead with a comprehensive and public analysis of the causes of forest fires that will enable the implementation of targeted and more effective fire prevention and response measures

– the full activation of a voluntary civil protection system as foreseen by a relevant law enacted three years ago

– ensuring transparency and accountability regarding the financing and implementation of fire prevention actions

– implementing climate-resilient spatial planning, banning constructions outside legal zoning areas, and completing forestry maps

– the launch of a national long-term fire prevention education campaign

– adopting new, innovative forest fire prevention methods.