IDRiM 2025: Advancing disaster risk reduction in islands and remote areas

Conflicts in Wildfire Risk Management: Aspect of Justice, Nature-Based Solutions and Stakeholder Engagement in Light of Increasing Extreme Events

CHAIRS

Claudia BERCHTOLD, Senior Researcher – Project Manager, Fraunhofer Institute for
Technological Trend Analysis – INT
JoAnne LINNEROOTH-BAYER, Acting Programme Director Risk and Resilience,
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

RATIONALE AND INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC OF THE SESSION

The European Union has invested more than 70 mil. € in wildfire risk management related research and innovation activities. Collectively, these projects proposed governance advances at European level. However, wildfire risk is a multi-scalar challenge that requires the involvement of national and regional levels of managing risk. Specifically, in light of an increasing number of extreme wildfire events, we want to explore key aspects on the intersection of equity, nature-based solutions (NbS), and stakeholder engagement in addressing wildfire challenges and the potential for advancing their uptake. The overall aim is to discuss how justice considerations can inform wildfire risk management strategies, the potential of nature-based solutions to foster resilience, and effective methods for engaging stakeholders in face of changing risks. This session aims to inspire collaborative action towards a just and sustainable approach to wildfire risk management.

Key Discussion Points:

1. Justice in Wildfire Management: We will examine how marginalized communities disproportionately face wildfire impacts and discuss the need for equitable resource allocation, access to information, and inclusion in decision-making processes.
2. Nature-Based Solutions: The session will highlight how NbS—such as reforestation
and sustainable land management—can enhance ecosystem resilience while mitigating wildfire risks. These solutions provide environmental benefits and promote social equity.
3. Stakeholder Engagement: Effective wildfire risk management requires the participation of diverse stakeholders, including local communities, indigenous peoples, and government agencies. We will explore best practices for inclusive dialogue and co-development of strategies that ensure all voices are heard.
4. Case Studies: Real-world examples will illustrate successful integration of justice, NbS, and stakeholder engagement in wildfire management, showcasing innovative
approaches that enhance community resilience and promote equitable outcomes.

Panel discussion.

PANELLISTS

• Ramona VELEA, ISIG - Istituto di Sociologia Internazionale di Gorizia, Italy
• Eduard PLANA BACH, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), Spain
• Tim FOREMAN, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria
• Valentina BACCIU, Centro Euro-Mediterraneo siu Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC), Italy

Understanding Expert Discourses for Improved Wildfire Risk Management
Xiran DONG, Anna SCOLOBIG, JoAnne LINNEROOTH-BAYER, Alberto FRESOLONE-
CAPARRÓS, Jan SENDZIMIR, Thomas SCHINKO

Wildfire risk management has gained importance as wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity, contributing to climate change, biodiversity loss and increasing societal vulnerability to multi-hazards. Resulting from historical processes influenced by socioeconomic factors, political decisions and changes in human-nature interactions, wildfire risk management has become more complex, involving multiple stakeholders often holding competing views, for example, on the respective roles of fire suppression. Integrated wildfire risk management aims to gain a holistic understanding, combining sophisticated technologies with land-use planning, forest practices and nature-based solutions. Therefore, a multifaceted, stakeholder approach is needed to address the wildfire challenge.
We conducted a discourse analysis of expert discourses on wildfire risk management in the Mediterranean context, focusing on narratives of how experts frame the wildfire risk problem and the interventions they propose for its management, especially relating to Nature-based Solutions.
Within the European Union’s Horizon 2020 project Firelogue (Cross-sector Dialogue for Wildfire Risk Management), data has been collected from two cross-sectoral workshops and semi-structured interviews. Reports and notes from the workshops and interviews were coded manually to identify a plurality of views that are classified along the three axiological categories of the Nature Futures Framework: the instrumental values of nature to society, the intrinsic values of nature, and the relational values weaving human-nature relationships together.
The dual role of fire being crucial for certain ecosystems with regenerative functions on the one hand, and a destructive force to socio-ecological systems on the other,  contributes to the complexity of the nexus between fire, nature and people. Understanding the social constructions and views of the expert wildfire community, documented with qualitative methods, can help identify compromise solutions and a robust policy space. This study aims to facilitate a holistic understanding of complex wildfire risk management and contribute to improving decision-making process taking into account different views and objectives.