The Global Fire Monitoring Center - GFMC


 
 

Address: GFMC & Fire Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, c/o Freiburg University, Georges-Koehler-Allee 75, D-79110 Freiburg, GERMANY

Tel: +49-761-808011
Fax: +49-761-808012

E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://gfmc.online/

ESTABLISHMENT

1998

STRUCTURE

Director: Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. mult. Johann Georg Goldammer
Deputy director: Dr. Oyunsanaa Byambasuren
Temporary staff of the Center: Fernando Casillas, MSc, Jameson Karns, MSc; Enkhjin Ganbold, MSc.

 

INSTITUTIONAL SETTING

The GFMC is a subdivision of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and is associated with the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) through the Science & Technology Partnership and its membership in the former UNISDR Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction.

In this context, the GFMC is coordinator and secretariat of the Global Wildland Fire Network, the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group and the International Fire Aviation Working Group (IFAWG). Furthermore, GFMC is serving as secretariat of the International Wildfire Preparedness Mechanism (IWPM). The Tools of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) are aimed at advising / supporting nations and the United Nations in Capacity Building in Landscape Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction. The GMFC collaborates with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in developing national fire management policies and fire management capacities, specifically in following up the Basel OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 6/14 on Enhancing Disaster Risk Reduction.

OBJECTIVES

As a global facility for vegetation fire monitoring, documentation and analysis, GFMC provides the following services:

  • Scientific and technical advice to governments, regional entities and international organizations, notably the UN, for the development of policies and strategies to reduce the negative impacts of fire on the environment and humanity
  • Secretariat of the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group and the Global Wildland Fire Network and the International Fire Aviation Working Group
  • Lead of the Eurasia Team of Specialists on Landscape Fire Management
  • Liaison capabilities for providing assistance for rapid assessment and decision support in response to wildland fire emergencies under cooperative agreements with the Joint Environment Unit of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Within the Network of Specialised Euro-Mediterranean Centres of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement, the GFMC is focussing on cooperation with the European Centre on Forest Fires (ECFF) in Athens, Greece.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

Fire management at local, national, regional and international levels:

Fire ecology and fire management:

Outreach work to transfer science-based to the policy and management levels:

PUBLICATIONS

A web page with the main bibliography is available at: https://gfmc.online/feueroekologie/publikationen.html

CONFERENCES

Major policy conferences and consultations (exemplary since 2004, for more details see: https://gfmc.online/latestnews/events.html)

  • Convener, regional consultations on cooperation in wildland fire management in Northeast Asia (Korea, 2004; Japan, 2005; Russia, 2006), Southern Africa (South Africa, 2004), South America (Brazil, 2004), Pan-American Region (Costa Rica, 2004), Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, 2004; Russia, 2005, 2006), Southeast Europe (Macedonia, 2005; Slovakia, 2006, Sofia 2007, Skopje 2008), South Asia (Nepal, 2007), support of central America (El Salvador, 2007)
  • Co-organizer, 4th International Wildland Fire Conferences (Spain 2007)
  • Co-organizer, International meeting on "Reducing Risk of Disaster from Catastrophic Wildfires in the Chernobyl Irradiated Forests" (Ukraine, 2007)
  • GOFC-GOLD Wildland Fire Early Warning Consultation, Subsahara Africa (Ghana, 2007)
  • Convener, National Round Table on Forest Fire Management, Nepal (Kathmandu, 2007)
  • Convener, Symposium on Fire Management in Cultural and Natural Landscapes, Nature Conservation and Forestry in Temperate-Boreal Eurasia (Germany, 2008)
  • Convener, First International Central Asian Wildland Fire Joint Conference and Consultation (ICAWFCC): Wildland Fires in Natural Ecosystems of the Central Asian Region. Ecology and Management implications, associated with the First Central Asian Forest Fire Experiment (Mongolia, 2008)
  • Co-organiser of National Round Table on "Reducing Risk of Disaster from Catastrophic Wildfires in the Chernobyl Irradiated Forests" (Ukraine, 2008)
  • Convener, regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus consultation meeting on "Regional Co-operation in Forest Fire Management" ("The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 2008)
  • Co-organiser, Pan-Asia Wildland Fire Consultations (South Korea 2009, 2011, 2013)
  • Co-Convener, ITTO National Round Table on Forest Fire Management, Nepal (Kathmandu, 2009)
  • Organiser, Wildfires and Human Security "Fire Management on Terrain Contaminated by Radioactivity, Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and Land Mines" (Kyiv / Chornobyl, Ukraine, 2009)
  • Organizer, EU Fire Paradox Closing Meeting (Freiburg, Germany, 2010)
  • Co-Convener, Advanced Regional Seminar in Wildland Fire Management (Antalya, Turkey, 2010)
  • Co-Convener, International Conference on Cross-Border Forest Fires and Cooperation in their Suppression (Irkutsk, Russian Federation, 2010)
  • Co-organiser, 5th International Wildland Fire Conference (South Africa, 2011)
  • Co-organiser, “First International Fire Management Week” in Krasnoyarsk Krai, (Russian Federation, 2012)
  • Co-organiser, International Symposium on Strategy Development of Advanced Forest Fire Policy and Organization (South Korea, 2013)
  • Co-organiser, Regional Seminar and Consultation “Wildfires in the Eastern European Region: Science, Policies and Management” and inauguration of the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) (Ukraine, 2012)
  • Organiser, Workshop “Defense of Villages, Farms and Other Rural Assets against Wildfires: Guidelines for Rural Populations, Local Community and Municipality Leaders in the Balkan Region” (Greece, 2013)
  • Co-organiser, “Second International Fire Management Week” in Krasnoyarsk Krai, (Russian Federation, 2013)
  • Co-organiser, International Congress and Trade Fair on Forest Fire and Climate Change: Challenges for Fire Management in Natural and Cultural Landscapes of Eurasia (Russia, 2013)
  • Organiser, UNECE/FAO Regional Forum on Cross-boundary Fire Management (UN Geneva, 2013)
  • Co-organizer, Fifth and Sixth National Round Tables on Fire Management in preparation of the National Fire Management Policy for Georgia and the implementation plan, conducted in the frame of the ENVSEC / GFMC project “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus” (Georgia, 2014)
  • Convener, First Round Table on Integrated Fire Management at State level in Germany – Brandenburg State (Germany, 2014)
  • Co-organiser, ASEAN-Republic of Korea Forest Cooperation (AFoCo) International Thematic Workshop on Forest Disaster Management in Southeast Asia: “Challenges and Way Forward in Forest Fire Management” and Training Course “Training of Trainers on Forest Fire Management” (Republic of Korea, 2014)
  • Organiser, Regional Fire Management Training for the South Caucasus, Western Balkans and Eastern Europe / Central Asia in the frame of the OSCE/ENVSEC project “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus” (Turkey, 2015)
  • Co-organiser, 6th International Wildland Fire Conference (Republic of Korea, 2015)
  • Co-organiser, First International Fire Management Week, Islamic Republic of Iran, National Round Table on Fire Management and Training Course for on Integrated Fire Management (Islamic Republic of Iran, 2016)
  • Convener, First Regional Symposium on Cross-Boundary Cooperation in Fire Management in South America (Uruguay, 2016)
  • Co-organizer, international workshop and training course "Forecasting Emissions from Vegetation Fires and their Impacts on Human Health and Security in South East Asia" (Indonesia, 2016)
  • Co-convener, Regional Consultative Workshop on Cross-Boundary Cooperation in Fire Management in South Asia, with GFMC contributions on the introduction of EuroFire Competency Standards to South Asia and the establishment of the Regional South Asia Fire Management Resource Center (Nepal, 2016)
  • Co-organizer, National Round Table on Fire Management, Republic of Macedonia, held under sponsorship of the Council of Europe (CoE), Secretariat of the Euro-Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) (FYR Macedonia, 2016)
  • Co-organizer, Regional Consultation on Cross-boundary Cooperation in Fire Management, held under sponsorship of the Council of Europe (CoE), Secretariat of the Euro-Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) (FYR Macedonia, 2016)
  • GFMC-led Forum Integrated Fire Management: New Approaches in Forest Protection and Nature Conservation at LIGNA 2017 and Wood Industry Summit (Germany, 2017)
  • Co-convener, Second Regional Consultation on Cross-boundary Cooperation in Fire Management in South America, sponsored by GFMC and the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (Chile, 2018)
  • Co-convener, Interoperability Workshop held in conjunction with the Aerial Firefighting Conference Europe 2017, organized jointly by the International Fire Aviation Working Group (IFAWG) and Securité Civile (France, 2017)
  • Co-convener, National Round Table “Fires in the Natural and Cultural Landscapes of Ukraine: Towards the Development of a National Fire Management Policy”, organized by the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) / National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU), GFMC and the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine, with participation of the Ministries of Agrarian Policy and Food, Internal Affairs and Ecology and Natural Resources, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, sponsored by the Council of Europe, Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) (Ukraine, 2018)
  • Regional Consultation on “Cross-Boundary Cooperation in Landscape Fire Management”, organized by the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) / National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU), GFMC, with participation of State Scientific Institute of Forest, National Academy of Sciences (Belarus); Directorate of Forestry, Hungary; Forestry Research Institute, Moldova; Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / Caucasus (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia); sponsored by the Council of Europe, Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) through (GFMC) (Ukraine, 2018)
  • International conference “Protection of Human Settlements and Social Infrastructure from Wildfires”, organized by EMERCOM of Russia, with GFMC contribution on behalf of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement Meeting (EUR-OPA) “Capacity building of rural communities in the defense of forests, villages, and other rural assets against wildfires: Experiences in the Eurasian Region” (Russian Federation, 2017)
  • Convener, First Workshop of the Thematic Working Group Vegetation (Landscape) Fire Crisis Mitigation (TWG-C) of the project FIRE-IN – Fire and Rescue Innovation Network, a project conducted in the frame of the EU Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 Secured Societies – Protecting Freedom and Security of Europe and its Citizens (SEC-21-GM-2016-2017 – Pan-European Networks of Practitioners and other Actors in the Field of Security) (Germany, 2018)
  • Bilateral fire emergency response exercise between Belarus and Ukraine in the frame of the project Improving radiological and environmental awareness in territories affected by the Chernobyl accident in Belarus and Ukraine with a focus on wildfire management, coordinated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMRC) and GFMC (Belarus, 2018)
  • Convener, Regional Round Table and Consultation Enhancing Regional Cooperation in Fire Management in South East Asia, organized by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia, the Regional Fire Management Resource Center South East Asia (RFMRC-SEA) and GFMC (Indonesia, 2018)