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Citation: Fiorucci, P.; Pernice, U.;
Cvetkovi´c, V.M.; Rajkovchevski, R.
Harmonizing Wildfire Risk
Assessment in Western Balkans
through the IPAFF Project. Environ.
Sci. Proc. 2022,17, 14.
https://doi.org/10.3390/
environsciproc2022017014
Academic Editors: Pierpaolo Duce,
Donatella Spano, Michele Salis,
Bachisio Arca, Valentina Bacciu,
Grazia Pellizzaro and
Costantino Sirca
Published: 9 August 2022
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Abstract
Harmonizing Wildfire Risk Assessment in Western Balkans
through the IPAFF Project †
Paolo Fiorucci 1, *, Umberto Pernice 1,2 , Vladimir M. Cvetkovi´c 3,4 and Rade Rajkovchevski 5
1CIMA Research Foundation, 17100 Savona, Italy
2Dipartimento di Ingegneria Astronautica, Elettrica ed Energetica (DIAEE), Universitàdi Roma La Sapienza,
00185 Roma, Italy
3Faculty of Security Studies, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
4Scientific-Professional Society for Disaster Risk Management, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
5Faculty of Security-Skopje, University St Kliment Ohridski—Bitola, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia
*Correspondence: paolo.fiorucci@cimafoundation.org
† Presented at the Third International Conference on Fire Behavior and Risk, Sardinia, Italy, 3–6 May 2022.
Keywords: wildfire; risk assessment; capabilities empowerment
Wildfire risk assessment plays a key role in each phase of the wildfire cycle, enabling
the shift from fire suppression to prevention activities while improving decisions for re-
sponse and restoration activities. Moreover, it enables synergies between fire and landscape
management for achieving an integrated fire management approach.
Since a wildfire’s complexity depends on different meteo-climatic, physics and human
aspects, wildfire risk assessment and mapping still lack a consolidated science-based
methodology (as that which exists for other natural hazards). Such a gap limits its adoption
across all different authorities involved in wildfire management for local, national, and
regional governments. Moreover, it affects the capacity to properly handle transboundary
aspects, considering that wildfires are not limited by national borders.
The IPAFF project advances a state-of-the-art approach for forest fire risk assessment,
proposing a common methodology in the Western Balkans and Turkey and empowering
wildfires risk assessment capacities.
Leveraging the European guidelines on risk assessment and tightening the focus on
wildfires, the analysis assesses capacities considering the following aspects: (i) the legal
and institutional framework shaping roles and responsibilities of authorities for fire and
landscape management at different governmental levels; (ii) coordination mechanisms
and procedures; (iii) data, methods, and tools; and (iv) mobilization of technical and
managerial expertise.
Each aspect is broken down into diverse criteria ranked through qualitative structured
interviews addressed to a panel of key stakeholders and decision-makers in each country,
identifying weaknesses and threats to be handled for developing and implementing wildfire
risk assessment.
The results are elaborated in the formulation of a regional technical guideline and
consolidated through focus groups participated by local authorities, research institutions,
and beneficiaries of the project, all of which help to bring the guideline’s content together.
The set of recommendations for elaborating the guideline will contribute to the devel-
oping of a common regional approach for wildfire risk mapping in the Western Balkans
and Turkey while considering both EU and international standards.
Author Contributions:
Conceptualization, P.F. and U.P.; methodology, P.F. and U.P.; investigation,
P.F., U.P., V.M.C. and R.R.; writing—original draft preparation, P.F. and U.P.; writing—review and
editing, V.M.C. and R.R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Environ. Sci. Proc. 2022,17, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/environsciproc2022017014 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/environsciproc
Environ. Sci. Proc. 2022,17, 14 2 of 2
Funding:
This research was funded by IPA II Multi-country Action Programme 2019, “EU Support
to Flood Prevention and Forest Fires Risk Management in the Western Balkans and Turkey”, grant
number Ref. Ares (2019)6016091-27/09/2019.
Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement:
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement: Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.