Lima, Peru – From June 4 to 6, 2024, Lima is hosting the First Regional Meeting of the Amazon Integrated Fire Management Network (RAMIF) of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO). This event brings together focal points and the Technical Group of the Network from the Amazon countries in an effort to strengthen integrated fire management in the region.
The meeting, held under the “Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation and Mutual Assistance for Integrated Fire Management among ACTO Member Countries” (MdE MIF), aims to draft and approve a work plan and its execution schedule. This plan will guide joint actions to comprehensively address the ecological, environmental, social, and technical challenges of fire management in the Amazon.
The event in Lima is supported by the CoRAmazonia Project (ACTO/BMZ/GIZ) and the Amazonia+ Program (funded by the European Union and implemented by AICS, FIIAPP, Expertise France, and the Joint Research Centre).
This significant step is part of a series of regional efforts that began in June 2021, when Amazon countries adopted ACTO’s Regional Forest Program. This program has become a strategic pillar for the conservation and sustainable use of the Amazon forest, emphasizing the need for a coordinated approach to managing forest fires.
The MdE MIF, technically agreed upon in 2021 and officially approved in October 2023, establishes a cooperation system that comprehensively addresses all fire-related aspects in the Amazon region. The Belém Declaration of August 2023, at the IV Meeting of Presidents of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACT) countries, reaffirmed this commitment, highlighting the importance of policies, technical actions, innovation, and technology to prevent and manage fires, as well as strengthening community, technical, and scientific capacities.
Following these guidelines, ACTO Foreign Ministers, at their 14th Meeting, prioritized the creation of RAMIF and its Technical Working Group to promote the implementation of the MdE MIF (RES/XIV MRE-OTCA/24).
In December 2023, ACTO’s Permanent Secretariat organized the “First Regional Workshop of the Amazon Integrated Fire Management Network within the ACTO Framework” in Brasília. This workshop allowed for an assessment of fire management in member countries, the exchange of information on relevant initiatives, and the establishment of the Terms of Reference for RAMIF.
The First Regional Meeting of RAMIF in Lima marks a crucial step toward consolidating an effective work plan and a clear schedule, reaffirming the commitment of Amazon countries to integrated fire management and the conservation of their invaluable natural heritage.
