Nurturing local resilience against wildfires with the “Aldeas Modelo” concept

Key Learnings

• Preventive land management: Controlling vegetation with interventions such as pruning, thinning, and prescribed burns, reduces fire fuel. Maintaining clear roads, forest tracks, and creating firebreaks improves safety and ensures easy access for emergency services.
• Integration of Traditional and Innovative Approaches: The project successfully combines traditional land management practices, such as extensive livestock farming, with modern techniques like virtual reality training. This blend of old and new methods not only enhances the effectiveness of wildfire prevention but also fosters sustainable rural economies, making the villages more resilient and self-sufficient in the face of climate-related threats.
• Engagement: Mobilising local communities is key to tackling the urgent threat of wildfires and building self-reliant communities. A series of workshops brought together local authorities, community leaders, and the public to foster support, encourage active participation, and enhance emergency preparedness.

Summary

Creating safe model villages in high wildfire-risk areas involves rehabilitating abandoned agricultural land for sustainable use, thus reducing fire risk and fostering rural economies, as demonstrated in the Living Lab Galicia. The measures include leasing reclaimed land to small farms and working closely with communities to manage land use, raise fire awareness, and develop preparedness plans. Education on fire safety, practical drills, and virtual reality for training are key in supporting wildfire preparedness. In Trelle, local authorities and residents support preventive landscape management. This is crucial for wildfire prevention and includes ensuring vegetation is controlled.

Contact

More information about the Living Lab

Name: Jorge Garcia Fernandez

Organisation: Xunta de Galicia, Consellería do Medio Rural

E-Mail: jorge [dot] garcia [dot] fernandezxunta [dot] gal (jorge[dot]garcia[dot]fernandez[at]xunta[dot]gal)

Communication contact point of the FIRE-RES project

Name: Beatrice Bellavia

Organisation: Euromontana

E-Mail: beatrice [dot] bellaviaeuromontana [dot] or (beatrice[dot]bellavia[at]euromontana[dot]or)