Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus should move beyond a piecemeal approach to wildfires and adopt a comprehensive prevention and adaptation strategy, according to a report by the European Council of Science Academies (EASAC).
Report presentation and key findings
The report, titled “Changing Wildfires in Europe”, was presented on Thursday at the initiative of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts at the Cyprus Institute in Nicosia. It highlights the need for preventive land management, investment in fuel reduction, the creation of resilient landscapes and systematic public education on fire risks.
According to the report, Cyprus is already on the front lines of the climate crisis, with forest fires posing an increasingly complex and multidimensional threat that exceeds earlier climate projections.
Mediterranean identified as high-risk region
The report documents a rapid rise in the frequency, intensity and scale of forest fires across Europe and identifies the Mediterranean, and Cyprus in particular, as among the regions at highest risk.
Scientists warn that warmer summers, drier winters and prolonged droughts are creating conditions that make fires more destructive to forests, farmland, Natura 2000 sites, communities and the natural-urban interface.
Shift from suppression to prevention
EASAC said existing policies in the European Union, including Cyprus, remain largely focused on fire suppression, but that suppression alone is insufficient in an increasingly warm climate.
The report recommends a shift toward prevention and preparedness through proactive land and landscape management, integrating fire risk into spatial planning and climate adaptation policies, investment in fuel management, and strengthened public education and awareness.
For Cyprus, it recommends incorporating fire risk into relevant policy areas including agriculture, water management, civil protection and development planning.
Regional cooperation and scientific capacity
The report highlights the importance of regional cooperation, stating that “fires know no borders”, and notes that the issue has been set as a key priority within the framework of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Climate Change Initiative.
It also emphasises Cyprus’s role as a regional hub for scientific knowledge and innovation, noting that advanced climate modelling and forest fire risk assessment are being carried out at the Cyprus Institute using high-resolution satellite data, historical data and climate change scenarios.
What measures do you think should be prioritised in Cyprus to reduce wildfire risk?