OSCE co-hosts Antalya seminar on preventing wildfires

ANTALYA, Turkey, 2 March 2010 - An advanced seminar on wildfire management for the Southeastern-Europe and South Caucasus regions, organized by the OSCE in co-operation with the Government of Turkey, started in Antalya today.

The three-day practical seminar for fire protection agency personnel from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Russia and Turkey will focus enhancing national capacities and international co-operation to prevent wildfires.

During the past decade, the severity and extent of wildfires has increased throughout the OSCE region due to a number of inter-related factors such as land-use change, rural exodus, and extreme weather patterns and climate change.

"Supporting efforts to build national fire management capacities will help to ensure that OSCE participating States have the ability to deal with this growing environmental threat to security," says Goran Svilanovic, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.

The participants will study fire behaviour and fire suppression techniques as well as tools and equipment, and will participate in prescribed burning and suppression firing demonstrations.

The participating countries are hosted by the Antalya Forestry Directorate of Turkey. International experts from the Global Fire Monitoring Centre and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network are also taking part. The seminar is held as part of the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative.