Learning Lab: Community-based Fire Management

RECOFTC, through the Community-based Fire Management (CBFiM) project, is hosting the Learning Lab, bringing together project representatives from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam. The CBFiM project is in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, integrating technical and global approaches to this five-year initiative.

This learning lab aims to prepare the country coordinators under the regional project on CBFiM in addressing the root causes of forest fires and their socio-ecological consequences within the landscapes of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam.

During this four-day workshop, the participants will:

• Provide and share knowledge, skills and tools on CBFiM and integrated fire management (IFM) planning and implementation.
• Engage in thought provoking discussions and dialogues.
• Dive into experiential and participatory learning approaches and methods as designed by the RECOFTC Training and Learning team.
• Visit a nearby community to learn about specific cases of fire management in the Chiang Mai area.
• Gain practical knowledge on how to build capacity and design community-based fire management plans.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the event, participants will be able to:

• Share and explain some key features, approaches, strategies and practices of CBFiM in their contexts.
• Analyze root causes, key issues and challenges and explore conditions for more effective CBFiM at various levels related to their own national contexts.
• Describe key concepts, approaches, and strategies of CBFiM/fire management in the region.
• Apply adult learning principles in the design and implementation of national training programs for their contexts.

Key Topics and Sessions

• International developments in CBFiM and impact on climate change
• CBFiM trends at the regional and national level
• Integrated Fire Management – Review, Risk reduction, readiness, response, recovery
• Analyzing Root causes and drivers of fire and fire behavior at the landscape levels  
• Economic and ecological aspects of Integrated Fire Management
• Readiness: Tools & technologies for early warning & predictive systems

Field Visits

Participants will visit one of two field sites to learn and share with a practiced community group with extensive experience in fire management.

At the end of this field trip, participants will be able to:

• Learn and understand good practices, lessons and experiences from multi-stakeholders' engagement and collaboration resolving the wildfires in the village of Ban Dong Chang Kaew and Ban Pong, Chiang Mai.
• Analyse the wildfire situation as well as the key success and failure factors from the village of Ban Dong Chang Kaew and Ban Pong, Chiang Mai by using the integrated fire management framework learned from the learning lab.
• Exchange perspectives, innovation and solutions that can address challenges in the better fire management plan implementation.

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This event is organized through the Community-based Fire Management (CBFiM) in Asia project, made possible through a five-year cooperative agreement between the USDA Forest Service International Programs and RECOFTC. The project receives financial support from the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) of the Department of Defense, along with funding from USAID and the USDA Forest Service International Programs.

For more information, please visit www.recoftc.org/projects/cbfim

RECOFTC’s work is made possible with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.