Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans

12/05/2026

🌿 Today, we celebrate the International Day of Plant Health 2026, a day that we can use to observe connection between plant health and effective landscape fire management in the Western Balkans.

🌳 Healthy forests and vegetation are more resilient to fire, pests, and climate stress, while degraded landscapes with weakened plant systems become more vulnerable to large, uncontrolled landscape fires. Strengthening plant health through sustainable land management, monitoring of pests and diseases, and restoration of native vegetation helps reduce fuel loads and supports more balanced fire regimes.

🔥 In this context, landscape fire management plays a key role in protecting plant ecosystems while minimizing risks to communities and biodiversity. The 2026 observance underscores the importance of regional cooperation, knowledge sharing, and aligning plant health strategies with climate adaptation efforts to ensure healthier landscapes that are better equipped to withstand and recover from fire.

08/05/2026

🌿 Representatives of the SDC’s LFMWB Programme team participated at the International Scientific Conference “GREDIT 2026 – Green Development, Green Infrastructure, Green Technology”.

🔥 Ms. Jasminka Pashaliska Andonovska, Project Officer for the Community-based Competitive Fund and Public Awareness within the LFMWB Programme, presented the Fund highlighting its innovative approach in supporting local initiatives that reduce fire risk and strengthen landscape resilience in fire-prone areas.

🌳 By combining local knowledge, landscape fire management (LFM) approaches, and cross-sectoral collaboration, the Fund enables communities to actively protect their environment, livelihoods, and cultural heritage.

Read more 👇

Representatives of the SDC’s LFMWB Programme team participated at the International Scientific Conference “GREDIT 2026 – Green Development, Green Infrastructure, Green Technology”, held on 27-28 April in Skopje at the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University. ...

06/05/2026

📢 Public Call Announcement – Consulting Services

The Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans Programme invites interested organizations to submit offers for:
Study and Development Plan for Water Resource Management in Support of Fire Prevention and Preparedness.

🗓 Deadline: 20 May 2026, 16:00
📧 Submission & questions: [email protected]
📌 Subject line: For Public Call Ref. No: 03/08/356
✅ Who can apply: Legal entities registered in North Macedonia.

🔍 Public call details, including eligibility criteria and application requirements, are available at the following link: https://lfmwb.net/2026/05/06/public-call-for-procurement-of-consulting-services-8/

04/05/2026

Don’t miss your chance to participate in the LFMWB Photo Contest!

We invite photographers and enthusiasts to submit their work and capture stories of landscape fire management, protection, community resilience, and the relationship between people and nature.

🌿 We are looking for photos that highlight:
• The contrast between conditions before and after fire events;
• Community action and local initiatives for prevention and restoration;
• Landscapes and practices that contribute to fire resilience prevention measures;
• Education and positive stories of recovery and adaptation.

Selected photographs will be featured in a traveling exhibition across the Western Balkans, contributing to raising awareness on landscape fire management and the importance of resilient landscapes.

🏆 In addition, three main prizes of 300, 500 and 900 CHF equipment vouchers will be awarded to the most impactful submissions.

🗓 Deadline: 10 May 2026
📩 Submission & questions: [email protected]
📌 Subject line: FOR PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST - Landscapes Fire Protection through the camera lens!

Learn more on our web site: https://lfmwb.net/2026/04/09/lfmwb-programme-launches-regional-photography-contest-on-landscape-fire-protection/

30/04/2026

🔥 Representatives of key landscape fire management (LFM) institutions and organisations gathered in Sarajevo to initiate the development of policy guidelines for LFM in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina). The meeting, held within the LFM Network, brought together around 25 stakeholders to begin shaping a more coordinated and context-specific approach to addressing landscape fire risks.

🌳 As with similar processes taking place across the Western Balkans, this meeting represents the starting point of a broader consultative approach for developing policy guidelines. The insights collected will feed into the drafting phase, followed by continued stakeholder engagement to refine and validate the guidelines.

Learn more 👇

On 23 April 2026, representatives of key landscape fire management (LFM) institutions and organisations gathered in Sarajevo to initiate the development of policy guidelines for LFM in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina). The meeting, held within the LFM Network, brought to...

29/04/2026

🔥 Empowering Gramsh to Reduce Landscape Fire Risk 🌿

In the Municipality of Gramsh, Albania, through the LFMWB Programme’s community-based project “Fire Free – Reducing the risk of fires in landscapes”, Shoqata Together for Life engaging communities and local stakeholders to reduce the risk of landscape fires. The project is implemented through the Community-based Competitive Fund coordinated by Farmahem, within the Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans (LFMWB) Programme financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Through targeted awareness sessions, educational campaigns, and youth engagement, residents are learning about fire risks and sustainable landscape fire management (LFM) practices. A group of passionate local students have taken on roles as youth ambassadors, promoting fire safety and inspiring their peers to protect their environment.

At the same time, the project is strengthening local government capacity by supporting strategic planning, risk assessment, and disaster preparedness tailored to landscape fire challenges.

Together, these efforts are helping build community resilience, increase knowledge, and pave the way for long-term fire risk reduction in Gramsh and beyond. 🌍💪

Learn more: https://lfmwb.net/project/fire-free-reducing-the-risk-of-fires-in-landscapes-in-the-municipality-of-gramsh-albania/

Embassy of Switzerland in Albania

26/04/2026

🔥 A participative process to develop national policy guidelines for landscape fire management (LFM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika Srpska) has officially been launched, bringing together key stakeholders to jointly define a more coordinated approach to landscape fire risks.

🌳 The future guidelines are expected to support a more integrated approach to LFM, covering prevention, preparedness, response, and post-fire recovery, while strengthening cooperation among institutions involved in the sector.

Learn more about this meeting on our web site 👇

A participative process to develop national policy guidelines for landscape fire management (LFM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika Srpska) has officially been launched, bringing together key stakeholders to jointly define a more coordinated approach to landscape fire risks. The process was initi...

22/04/2026

International Earth Day 2026 draws attention to the deep interconnection between healthy ecosystems and effective landscape fire management. As climate pressures intensify, landscape fires are becoming more frequent, severe, and unpredictable, transforming them from seasonal events into persistent environmental threats. This reality underscores the importance of shifting from reactive firefighting toward integrated, landscape-based approaches that prioritize prevention, resilience, and long-term ecological balance.

Sustainable landscape fire management recognizes fire as both a natural ecological process and a potential hazard. Well-managed fire can support biodiversity, maintain habitat diversity, and reduce the accumulation of combustible vegetation. However, without careful planning and governance, it can also lead to soil degradation, loss of wildlife, and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Strategies such as controlled burning, fuel management, ecological restoration, and the reintroduction of traditional land stewardship practices play a key role in reducing wildfire risk while enhancing ecosystem health.

International Earth Day serves as a reminder that protecting the planet requires coordinated action across sectors and borders. Strengthening early warning systems, investing in community-based fire management, and integrating scientific knowledge with local expertise are all essential steps. Equally important is the need to align fire management policies with broader climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation goals, ensuring that landscapes remain resilient in the face of growing environmental change.

21/04/2026

The development of national policy guidelines for landscape fire management in 🇽🇰 has officially begun, marking an important step toward strengthening the country’s institutional approach to landscape fire risks.

The process was initiated during a meeting of the National LFM Network, held in Prishtina on 16 April 2026, bringing together around 20 representatives from key institutions and organisations engaged in LFM and policy development.

Learn more about this workshop on our web site 👇

The development of national policy guidelines for landscape fire management (LFM) in Kosovo has officially begun, marking an important step toward strengthening the country’s institutional approach to landscape fire risks. The process was initiated during a meeting of the National LFM Network, hel...

20/04/2026

Miroslav Rakita, Country Project Staff representative within the LFMWB Programme in Banja Luka, plays an active role in advancing Landscape Fire Management (LFM). Through his engagement in national coordination processes, he contributes to building stronger institutional cooperation and promoting prevention-oriented approaches to fire management.

Over the past years, he has observed a gradual but important shift - from isolated institutional responses focused mainly on fire suppression, toward a more integrated LFM framework that emphasizes prevention, cross-sector cooperation, and long-term resilience.

Discover Miroslav’s reflections on the role of national LFM networks and the challenges communities face in managing landscape fires, offering practical insights grounded in field experience.

16/04/2026

📢 Public Call Announcement – Consulting Services

The Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans Programme invites interested organizations to submit offers for:
Education of farmers and local community members on landscape fire measures and importance of prevention.

🗓 Deadline: 06 May 2026, 16:00
📧 Submission & questions: [email protected]
📌 Subject line: For Public Call Ref. No: 03/08/292
✅ Who can apply: Legal entities registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

🔍 Public call details, including eligibility criteria and application requirements, are available at the following link:
👉 https://lfmwb.net/2026/04/16/public-call-for-procurement-of-consulting-services-7/