Community Based Wildfire Management on the Tonle Sap Lake

Community Based Wildfire Management on the Tonle Sap Lake

Dry season wildfires are destroying the Tonle Sap Lake’s flooded forest and damaging its fishery. And a lack of resources meant that local communities could only watch their forests burn. In 2019 Conservation International began working with a few local fishing communities to address wildfire by providing them with basic fire suppression equipment. Since then, we have developed and are implementing Community Based Fire Management (CBFiM) in 17 communities. CBFiM is a wholistic community-based approach to fire management which aims to prevent and control fire and improve livelihoods, health, security, and conserve wildlands. CBFiM is based around the 5R’s approach:

  • Review – identify fire issues and options for change
  • Risk Reduction – prevent wildfire.
  • Readiness – prepare for wildfire.
  • Response – control and extinguish wildfire.
  • Recovery – restore damaged areas.

These communities now have the resources and confidence to prevent and suppress wildfire within the CBFiM framework.

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