A common framework of forestry policy that reflects the ground realities of the member-countries is important if the issue of forest fire is to be addressed jointly in the Hindu Kush Himalayas. This was the gist of the views expressed at the plenary session on forest fire and mountain forest management solutions, held as part of the international symposium on transforming mountain forestry being organised at the Forest Research Institute by the institute in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
Experts said that forest fires must be looked at in relation to bigger issues of climate change and desertification. They said that despite a range of controlling measures, management of forest fire is still weak. Dr Alok Saxena of Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy said the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon has shown a serious concern about wild fire hazards in the mountain forests of Nepal. In India, a study by the Forest Survey of India showed that 2.31 per cent of forest cover is damaged by fires every year.
Transboundary wildfires and haze pollution are important concerns. Several cities in Asia are becoming darker due to atmospheric brown cloud. He quoted one study that stated that 3,940 tera gram of carbon is released into the atmosphere after every forest fire, and this is a major threat to biodiversity and directly related to climate change.
Sundar Sharma of Global Wildland Fire Network said that the loss of biodiversity because of forest fires is a major concern today. Transboundary fires and smoke pollution are other serious issues that must be regionally addressed, said Sharma. Panelists said fire managers in the mountains faced several challenges because of the region’s topography and limited research. They said customised maps and forest fire risk maps should be developed for assessment of forest fire prone zones.
Participants agreed that countries should pay special attention to local communities, empower them through capacity building, raise awareness on adaptation livelihoods and step up wild land fire management programme to offset heat-trapping emission by investing in forests. They also stressed on the need to promote communication among forest managers, researchers, and other interested parties. High priority areas should be identified through national and local planning systems, they stated.