D4.4 Working group results

This Deliverable provides an overview over the Firelogue Working Group (WG) workshop held in Solsona, Spain between 4th and 6th of July 2023. It provides an overview of the Key Notes that have been provided to set the scene (Section 3) and summarises the discussions within and across the Working Groups (WGs). During this first workshop cycle, the idea of introducing justice aspects into discussions around WFRM was introduced. While aspect on challenges, conflicts and synergies between the different stakeholders in managing wildfire risk have been discussed, also more general aspects of existing challenges and needed innovation have been discussed. The main insights per WG are described in Section 4. The Deliverable thereby builds on reports that have been produced by each Working Group to document the discussions and sketch the way forward. These reports are however only partly anonymised and are hence only used for internal documentation and further work by the WGs.
The focus of the WGs and the related discussions can be summarised as follows:
- Environment and Ecology: The Environment and Ecology WG aims to develop a better understanding of ecosystems’ response to changing fire-prone conditions and the influence of cross-sectoral policies to landscape modulation, which are two main pillars of the environmental dimension of wildfire risk management (WFRM). The WG discusses how adaption and the management of fire resilient landscapes across the EU can be achieved in a collaborative and cost-efficient manner. At forest stand level, for instance, in depth analysis of fuel management options to provide forest structures resistant to wildfires become imperative, maximizing synergies among sectoral policies such as bio-economy or biodiversity conservation and protecting both not only forest but also society against high intensity fires.
- Society: The involvement of the society has increasingly become pivotal in disaster risk management. While people are often the primary targets of strategic policies, they also play a crucial role in driving and implementing these strategies at various levels, from local to European. However, the prevailing approach leans heavily on top-down communication strategies. Such strategies often overlook the importance of citizen consultation during policy formulation which can inadvertently create generational and technological divides, especially when solutions are technology-centric rather than user-centric. The Society WG hence focuses on the active involvement of citizens. In addition, it addresses an enhancement in understanding the target demographic. Policies often neglect groups like citizens with low literacy, migrants in rural areas, and individuals with disabilities. This lack of inclusivity hampers the adoption of policies, especially among crucial target groups.
- Infrastructure: Critical infrastructure such as transportation systems (highways, railways), communications networks (mobile phone masts), power lines (high voltage, low and high tension), Renewable Energy Sources (RES) installations (solar farms, wind turbines) and refineries provide essential life-sustaining goods and services and play an important role in the fire regime. Wildfires pose a significant threat to critical infrastructure and, vice versa, some critical infrastructure may also threaten wildlife assets, adversely acting as a source of fire. This complex relationship between wildfire and critical infrastructure highlights the importance of understanding the interdependencies and implementing effective strategies that can enhance the resilience of both assets and better mitigate fire risks is at the core of the Infrastructure WG.
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- Insurance: The Firelogue-NATURANCE1 Insurance Working Group (IWG) brings together representatives to deal with equitable insurance and other risk transfer options for mounting wildfire risk in Europe. In particular, the IWG focuses on two themes: i) exploring options for equitable wildfire insurance and risk transfer; and ii) insurance and risk transfer incentives and requirements for wildfire risk reduction, notably through Nature-based Solutions (NbS). ‘Equity’ in this context involves aspects of accessibility and affordability, including a view to the availability of safety nets for low-income households and vulnerable businesses in wildfire risk areas. As a second aspect, equity involves responsibility for reducing wildfire risks through measures, including NbS such as restoring degraded forest ecosystems with mixed forests, promoting mature tree growth, assuring sufficient hydration and other cost-effective solutions that are inspired and supported by nature.
- Civil Protection: The Civil Protection Working Group (CPWG) focuses on response topics and is hence involving representatives from Fire and Emergency Services; Emergency Medical Services; Police Department; Traffic Police; Armed Forces; Forestry service when they are involved in response; Responding NGOs and other specific responding bodies. It deals with aspects of (lacking) interoperability of responders at EU level, the development of new technologies for response operations and knowledge sharing and integration of lessons learnt more broadly.
Finally, the cross-links of the challenges, opportunities, synergies and conflicts of the WGs have been summarised in (Section 5). Building on a figure visualising the relations between the WGs, each connection and the topics to be considered in more integrated WFRM are described in the different sub-sections.
Overall, this Deliverable is the first of two reports that document the Working Group results. D4.5 is to follow in M36 after the second round of workshops.