Forest fires

Over 350 million hectares of land worldwide are affected by fire annually, 95 percent caused by human activity. Fire is an important land-management tool, but carelessness has catastrophic impacts, including forest degradation leading to economic, social and environmental damage.

FAO activities include:

• promoting cooperation among fire-prone countries
• providing technical assistance to fire-management policies, legislation and participatory approaches
• managing information on policy, legislation and terminology
• advising governments on importance of involving communities in forest management and protection