Türkiye and Kazakhstan strengthen cooperation on integrated forest fire management amid growing climate challenges

2 May 2025, Semey, Kazakhstan –A two-day Integrated Forest Fire Management Training programme took place on 22–23 April 2025 in Semey, Kazakhstan. It assembled forestry professionals from Kazakhstan, with a focus on personnel working in fire management units.

The comprehensive programme addressed critical aspects of integrated forest fire management in a context of intensifying wildfire risks globally due to climate change. Aligned with the FAO Strategy on Forest Fire Management, the training course also represented a significant milestone in forestry cooperation between Türkiye and Kazakhstan.

An estimated 340–370 million hectares of the Earth’s land surface is affected by fire annually (equivalent to just less than half the land area of the Australian continent). Climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense, with a global increase in extreme fires of up to 14 percent by 2030, 30 percent by 2050 and 50 percent by 2100.

Forests currently cover 31 percent of the world’s land surface, storing an estimated 296 gigatonnes of carbon and hosting the majority of terrestrial biodiversity. They provide essential resources for millions of people while playing a critical role in climate change mitigation and environmental quality improvement.

The Integrated Forest Fire Management Training programme featured both theoretical and practical components. Day one covered essential topics including Türkiye’s forest fire response systems, fire characteristics, environmental factors affecting forest fires and advanced intervention tactics. The second day was dedicated to hands-on field training, allowing participants to apply their knowledge in realistic scenarios under the guidance of experienced trainers.

Turkish experts from the General Directorate of Forestry shared valuable insights from Türkiye’s extensive experience in integrated forest fire management, presenting their country’s organizational structure and response capabilities. Throughout the sessions, fire management approaches from both countries were evaluated and discussed, fostering mutual learning.

This training course forms part of the project “Building Capacities through South-South Cooperation (SSTC)” under the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes, organized in conjunction with the initiative “Enhancing the capacity of the Turkish International Forestry Training Centre”. The collaboration aims to strengthen technical cooperation between the two countries in forestry management and to build resilient systems to protect forest resources.

About the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes

The objectives of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes are to provide support to ensure food security, rural poverty reduction and sustainable forest management; combat desertification; and preserve ecosystems in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and other countries of mutual interest. 

Established in 2007, the first phase of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP) has benefited from trust fund contributions totalling USD 10 million, financed by the Government of Türkiye and represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. During the first phase of the programme, 28 projects were implemented in 16 countries between 2009 and 2015.

In 2014, Türkiye and FAO commenced the second phase of the FTPP along with the first phase of the FAO-Türkiye Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP) with additional funding of USD 20 million, bringing Türkiye’s total contribution to USD 30 million.

LINKS:

·        South-South Cooperation project breathes fresh life into FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes

·        Enhancing the capacity of the Turkish International Forestry Training Centre

·        FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes