Role in FIRE-ADAPT: Scientific Coordinator and leader of the thematic area “Integrated Fire Management as a climate adaptation approach”
Organisation: botAnique et Modélisation de l’Architecture des Plantes et des végétations (AMAP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)
Country: France
What my overview of FIRE-ADAPT is
FIRE-ADAPT is an acronym for “fire adaptation”. It is a project that seeks to establish relationships between scientists, managers, firefighters, and different professionals in the world who work on wildfires and land management for the prevention of large fires. It consists of building a network for knowledge exchange, for communication because, oddly enough, when one specialises in something, the languages are very different and it is very difficult to talk. We want to establish this platform to be able to build a common vocabulary, exchange experiences and discuss how to move forward together on an issue as important as the management of our territory to avoid catastrophic wildfires in a context of climate change, which we all know is present and urgent to address.
What motivated me to create FIRE-ADAPT
A vision of my personal journey. I did my PhD on the subject of wildfires in the Mediterranean. Then I learned a lot about the vision and problems of Mediterranean ecosystems, and the management challenges in preventing wildfires in them. Then I spent almost 15 years working in a more Latin American context and in tropical and subtropical environments, where I also learned about their challenges. I knew that there was a willingness to make these exchanges of experiences, but they had been minimal because the opportunities are few, but the challenges are always great. So it was like a dream to bring together the two worlds to learn from each other, to see what works, what doesn’t, what we can build together.
What my area of work in the project pursues
Establish links between the different areas of work of the project. For example, the modeling work area needs data from the carbon work area, but also from the biodiversity one to see which species can be prioritized, and a little bit from the social area to see how to act with local communities and civil society. So, let’s see how we integrate the results of the different thematic areas to decide how we do a management.
What strenghts of the partners come together in the project
From the colleagues of forest fire protection services, the knowledge they have about the territory, how fires work within it, and what they can and cannot do in it because they know the laws very well. The managers also know the local legislations, the realities, the local communities and the priorities that may exist in that territory, such as safeguarding certain species or foreseeing processes of aggression if it is an area that is degraded. Researchers bring the deep development part to bring answers to questions that both managers and forest firefighters may have.
This is me
I am from: Spain
Favourite food: paella
Favourite film: Like water for chocolate, by Alfonso Arau
Favourite singer or band: Joaquín Sabina
I admire: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the great judge of the US Supreme Court.
Superpower I´d like to have: fly
In Spain, I’d take you to: the Pyrenees