Wildfire resilience: Aligning policy, finance and local action
Co-hosted by Tropenbos International, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Forest & Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP) as part of London Climate Action Week.
Why this dialogue?
Wildfires are no longer just an environmental emergency. They pose significant risks to public health, economic stability and effective governance. In the tropics, wildfires are increasingly driving forest loss and landscape degradation, intensified by climate change. Yet the impacts are not evenly distributed. Countries and communities that have contributed least to global emissions are often those facing the greatest wildfire risks, bearing disproportionate environmental, social and fiscal costs.
There is growing consensus that a shift to prevention is essential - moving beyond reactive crisis management and suppression towards proactive long-term wildfire resilience. Indigenous Peoples, local communities (IP and LCs) and other local actors are already reducing wildfire risk in many landscapes. However, prevention efforts remain under-recognised, underfunded and insufficiently reflected in policy and investment decisions.
A political window is opening. Brazil’s COP30 ‘Call to Action on integrated fire management and wildfire resilience’ creates an opportunity to move from commitment to implementation. The challenge now is to translate this into practical implementation, investment and institutional change.
Objective of this dialogue
This strategic dialogue will bring together governments, IP and LC representatives, finance actors, civil society and implementation partners to identify a small number of practical actions that can accelerate the transition from wildfire suppression to prevention.
The dialogue will focus on three key aspects on how countries and partners can operationalise the ambitions of the COP30 Call to Action by:
Strengthening local stewardship and action
Embedding fire resilience into land-use, climate and rural development policies
Mobilising public and private finance for prevention and resilience
From COP30 to COP32: from commitment to delivery
The event will contribute to a broader implementation pathway linking COP30 in Brazil, COP31 in Turkiye, and COP32 in Ethiopia, with the ambition to demonstrate tangible progress. The dialogue will identify practical next steps that governments and partners can advance over the next two years and explore opportunities for collaboration through FCLP and related international processes.
Expected outcomes
A shared understanding of the key barriers to scaling wildfire prevention
Identification of 3-5 priority implementation actions for governments and partners
Opportunities for collaboration, peer exchange and financing support, through FCLP and related initiatives
Recommendations that can inform the implementation of Brazil’s Call to Action and help shape the pathway towards COP32
The dialogue is intended as a practical, action-oriented conversation focused on moving from commitments and declarations towards implementation, investment and measurable progress on wildfire resilience.
Find out more about Tropenbos International's wildfire work: https://www.tropenbos.org/what-we-do/focus-areas/wildfire-prevention/