Еxtreme weather events such as long-lasting droughts create conditions for devastating fires. Climate change, land-use change, and the rural exodus are increasing the ecosystem’s vulnerability to landscape fires in the Western Balkans (WB), which represents one of the most affected regions in Europe by landscape fires (LFs).
To mitigate the negative impacts of LFs in the WB, the Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans (LFMWB) Programme financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation – SDC aims to increase the resilience of Western Balkan forests and landscapes against fires to benefit the people who depend on these landscapes for their livelihoods and socioeconomic development.
The LFMWB Programme within the period of 2022-2026 focuses on the following outcomes:
The Western Balkans united with the common goal of increasing resilience of forests and landscapes against fires.
We are proud to announce the results of our Photography Competition and extend our gratitude to all photographers who participated and shared their inspiring work with us. Through powerful visual storytelling, this competition highlighted the importance of protecting...
The process of developing national policy guidelines for landscape fire management (LFM) in Montenegro was officially launched during a workshop held on 7 May 2026 with members of the National LFM Network. The event brought together around 25 representatives from...
On 28–29 April 2026, in Zlatibor, Serbia, was organized the Networking event of Public and Civil Sector Actors for Joint Communication Activities on Landscape Fire Prevention within the SDC’s Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans (LFMWB) Programme. The...
Living with fire has long been part of human-environment relationships in the Balkans. For centuries, rural communities developed ways of managing land that acknowledged fire as a threat. Today, as landscape fires become more frequent and severe, there is renewed...
Mosaic landscape is a type of landscape characterized by a patchwork of forests, grasslands, agricultural fields, and shrublands and play a critical role in reducing landscape risk in the Balkans. Unlike large, continuous expanses of dense vegetation, these...
Smoke produced by landscape fires represents one of the most significant yet often overlooked environmental threats to ecosystems and public health in the Western Balkan region. When forests, grasslands, and agricultural areas burn, enormous quantities of smoke...
