UK (Commonwealth Union)_ The inauguration of the Wildfire-Resilient Landscapes Network took place at a reception graced by His Majesty King Charles III, preceding the commencement of COP28 in Dubai. This newly established network, a joint endeavor between the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance and the Commonwealth Secretariat, represents a concerted effort to amalgamate indigenous wisdom and scientific expertise concerning wildfires, with a focus on crafting landscapes resilient to such environmental challenges.
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At the core of this initiative lies the formation of Living Labs, intended to serve as tangible demonstrations illustrating the methods for creating resilient landscapes, particularly in regions prone to wildfires across the globe. Moreover, the network plans to collaborate with the finance industry to devise innovative financial tools, potentially centered around emerging natural markets, aimed at securing the requisite investments essential for the transition to resilient landscapes.
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The impetus for founding this network derived from The King’s interest in fostering collaboration between Australia’s indigenous fire experts and their Canadian counterparts, with the goal of sharing best practices in the aftermath of Canada’s devastating fire season. In light of escalating wildfires attributable to climate change, where traditional fire suppression measures have reached their limits, the world faces mounting human casualties, severe health ramifications, substantial economic losses, heightened greenhouse gas emissions, and alarming depletion of the natural environment. This summer witnessed extreme wildfire events, culminating in Canada’s most severe wildfire season on record, consuming over 18.5 million hectares of land and emitting more than 2.2 billion tons of CO2 eq, potentially tripling the annual greenhouse emissions of Canada’s entire economy.
Addressing the multifaceted challenge requires not only the creation of resilient landscapes but also innovative financial tools to catalyze substantial investments. Presently, the costs associated with wildfire prevention and landscape management rely heavily on public subsidies, proving inadequate for addressing the global scale of the issue. The network recognizes the pivotal role of private-public partnerships and private finance in deploying investments at scale, leveraging new technologies, and establishing a novel model for designing resistant and resilient landscapes. Notably, carbon markets and potentially future biodiversity markets present intriguing opportunities for private finance in this context.
Drawing inspiration from successful models, such as the savanna fire management program in northern Australia, the network highlights the potential of indigenous knowledge as a foundation for creating new financial instruments. The application of traditional fire management approaches, rooted in generations of land management, has not only generated carbon credits but also delivered additional benefits, including market-based jobs, improved biodiversity, food security, and health in remote and vulnerable communities. Operationalized under the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance and in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the network will build upon the work of the International Savanna Fire Management Initiative (ISFMI) and FIRE-RES. The former contributes unique indigenous knowledge and experience in wildfire risk management, while the latter brings scientific expertise to the table.
Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, expressed anticipation for the Commonwealth’s contribution to this timely collaboration on wildfire resilience, rooted in knowledge sharing and climate-related initiatives. She said, “The Commonwealth looks forward to contributing to this timely collaboration on wildfire resilience. Our climate work is rooted in knowledge sharing – from helping vulnerable countries unlock critical access to climate finance to climate-related capacity development and the promotion of climate-resilient and sustainable land management.”
Marc Palahí, CEO of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, emphasized the honor in hosting a network that seamlessly integrates science, indigenous wisdom, and the financial sector to holistically address the creation of wildfire-resilient landscapes. As leaders convene for COP28 to forge climate action agreements, the initiation of this collaborative endeavor signifies a critical step towards embedding resilience and contributing to nature protection, climate adaptation, and mitigation efforts on the ground. He said, “We are honoured to host this network, which will build on the success of our Living Labs and connect the dots between science, indigenous knowledge, and the financial sector to enable a holistic approach to creating wildfire-resilient landscapes. As leaders gather to agree climate action at COP28, the start of this collaborative endeavour will facilitate vital progress on the ground that works to embed resilience, while contributing to nature protection as well as climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.”
