In the context of the SDC’s Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans (LFMWB) Programme, the third landscape fire management (LFM) workshop of the national LFM network took place on the 5th of December 2023, in Skopje. The workshop was organized by the LFMWB’s Country Partner Institution (CPI), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy (MAFWE) of North Macedonia, in collaboration with the Regional Fire Monitoring Center (RFMC).
The primary focus of the workshop was to address key questions related to LFM, including a review of the process of developing the Country report with LFM guidelines for North Macedonia. The workshop aimed to achieve consensus on the final version of the Country report among all stakeholders, establish common agreement on LFM guidelines, identify LFM challenges, and initiate the process of developing a national strategy for adaptive landscape management and LFM.
The workshop commenced with opening remarks from Mr. Sasha Jovanovic, a representative of the MAFWE, who emphasized the importance of forests as vital components of the environment and the significance of remaining committed to protecting forests from landscape fires.
Mr. Cvetan Nikolovski underscored the importance of improving collaboration at both local and regional levels, enhancing capacities, actively involving all stakeholders, and having commitment, dedication, and active participation in LFM national networks in North Macedonia.
Afterward, the Country Project Staff, Mr. Bojan Mihajlovski, moderated the workshop and presented an overview of the developing process of the Country report for North Macedonia and the final version of the report. The objectives included ensuring mutual acceptance of the final draft of the report, jointly formulating LFM guidelines, and discussing and defining LFM gaps at both the local and national levels.
A presentation on the SWOT analysis and guidelines chapters of the Country report facilitated fruitful discussions, with participants offering valuable feedback on the report’s comprehensiveness and utility.
In the final part of the workshop, the regional officer for forestry and landscape fire management at the RFMC, Mr. Velian Jagev, presented the content for developing a national strategy for adaptive landscape management and LFM. The participants were divided into groups to define the vision and general goals of the strategy, delving into how the ideal system for national LFM functions.
During the workshop, key discussion points emerged, reflecting diverse stakeholder perspectives on LFM. The representatives from over 20 institutions in science, practice, and policy sectors contributed to tackling landscape fire challenges and mutually accepted the final version of the Country report.
