MediterRE3
Reducing fire-related greenhouse gas emissions in Greece, Montenegro and France by promoting fire-smart landscape management.
Carbon Removals and Sinks Forests
Project info
France, Greece, Montenegro
09/21 - 12/23
National governments, Regional governments, Associations, Local governments, Public sector
714,295.14 €
Contact info
Lara Beffasti
- Istituto Oikos Onlus
- CIHEAM - Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (CIHEAM-MAICh)
- Green Home
- Luberon natural regional Park – Biosphere reserve Luberon-Lure
- National Observatory of Athens (NOA)
Background
In Europe, fires burn over 500,000 hectares of forest annually, and scientists estimate that during the 21st century the number and extent of wildfires will increase due to climate change. This is significant when acknowledging that natural forest disturbances such as wildfires account for approximately 30 per cent more greenhouse gases (GHG) than fossil fuels. One of the root causes of wildfires is inadequate land management practice, including accumulation of dry biomass, burning of farmland waste and landscape simplification for industrial agriculture.
Project
The principles of fire-smart landscape management and Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) are integrated landscape management approaches, which, over the past two decades, have proven successful means of reducing the number of wildfires. The project team addressed local and national decision-makers, policymakers and practitioners who were involved in landscape management and fire prevention in three natural and national parks in France, Greece and Montenegro. Several means aimed to help them to apply and mainstream the principles of Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) into policies, regulations and land use plans: First, the project team provided the target group with guidelines for fire-smart landscape planning and management according to FLR principles and shared best-practice examples in the Mediterranean region. Second, the project team partnered with the National Observatory of Athens to develop a climate model for estimating the reduction in fire-related GHG emissions under different future climate change scenarios in fire-smart, mosaic-like resilient landscapes. The results of this aimed to inform policymakers and to support national climate change mitigation and climate-resilient landscape planning policies and strategies. Finally, the project team supported the development of three Landscape Action Plans for the fire-smart restoration of the three target landscapes in France, Greece and Montenegro. The Network of Mediterranean Forest Landscapes of High Ecological Value (Medforval) ensured to disseminate the knowledge generated through the project, advancing the fire resilience of landscapes across the Mediterranean and eventually reducing greenhouse gas emissions significantly.
Results
- Guidelines that protect forests and the climate: During the project, guidelines for fire-resilient landscapes in the Mediterranean region were developed and disseminated as easy-to-understand summaries in all national languages. They were communicated in a practical way at workshops, including in France and Crete.
- Impact practically demonstrated: When fire broke out in the Luberon Nature Park in August 2022, the municipality and the forestry office used the guidelines, prevented the fire from spreading to villages and protected 250 hectares of forest – and thus prevented the emission of substantial quantities of CO₂.
- Presentation of future scenarios as a basis for action: The project provided projections of the burnt area and the associated greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) under various scenarios of (i) future climate change and (ii) fire protection-orientated landscape interventions. The results are summarised in three technical fact sheets and in a protocol describing how to estimate the reduction of fire-related GHG emissions under future climate change scenarios by applying forest landscape restoration principles in Mediterranean landscapes.
- Implementation of Landscape Action Plans: A total of 19 institutions from Montenegro, Greece and France have committed to implementing a Landscape Action Plan (LAP). Their implementation contributes directly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from forest fires through integrated planning and fire management approaches. The LAPs cover an area of over 200, 000 hectares.
- Demonstrable knowledge building and networking: 80 per cent of the specialist staff demonstrated an increased understanding and improved application competence of management principles for fire-resilient ("fire-smart") landscapes. The increase in competence was achieved by communicating evidence-based guidelines based on regional best practices and lessons learned, thus optimising the ability of the specialist staff to act. The findings of the project were shared regionally via the MedForVal network with 18 members. This enabled partnerships in the Mediterranean region to be strengthened, mutual learning to be promoted and innovative solutions for the management of forest landscapes and adaptation to climate and fire risks to be further developed.
Last update: January 2026