The next ThinkForest event, aims to provide a better science-policy understanding of the problem of forest fires. Forest fires have become an increasingly important environmental and economic global challenge. At worst, they cause human and fauna disasters, lost opportunities for livelihood, and play a major role in global CO2 emissions.

In southern Europe, the cumulative effects of global warming, fire-prone landscapes, changes in urbanisation patterns, as well as the lack of perceived value of forests for local populations, create favourable conditions for catastrophic forest fires. The cost of fire mitigation and control amounts to several billion euros each year, as well as jeopardizes forest policy implementation in Southern Europe.

This ThinkForest event will discuss the opportunities that forest bioeconomy and new policy incentives and measures, for example, under CAP, could offer. 

Our venue is Hotel Tryp Atocha, meeting room Atocha, Calel de Atocha 83, 28012 Madrid, Spain

There will be simultaneous translation available (English/Spanish).

Programme
9:30 Welcoming words by Göran Persson, ThinkForest President and Esperanza Orellana, General Director, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment, Spain

9:50 The Role of CAP in Forest Fires Prevention by Ignacio Seoane, Deputy Head of Unit, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission

10:05 Forest fires: the big picture by Marc Castellnou, Strategic Fire Analyst, Regional Fire Services, Catalonia, Spain

10:25 Effective forest fire management and policy by Gavriil Xanthopoulos, Researcher, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems

10:45 The bioeconomy as an opportunity to control forest fires in Southern Europe by Inazio Martinez de Arano, Head of EFI’s Mediterranean Facility

11:05 Panel discussion: “Forest bioeconomy, forest fires and policy”
Moderator: Marc Palahí, Director, EFI

-José Manuel Jaquotot, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Agric. and Fisheries, Food and Environment, Spain
–Tiago Oliveira, Head of Unit, Special Unit for Portuguese Wildfire Management System, Portugal
–Alessandra Stefani, Director General, Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, Italy
–Margarida Tomé, Professor, University of Lisbon, Portugal 

12:20 EFI forest fire video

12:25 Concluding remarks by Marco Marchetti, Member of EFI Board, Professor, University of Molise, Italy 

12:30 – 14:00 Networking lunch

Registration is now open!