From 13th to 15th of October 2025, a training on “Climate Change and Land Use – Mitigation and Adaptation in the Context of Landscape Fire Management” was held in Petrovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as part of the Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans (LFMWB) Programme. The Programme is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and coordinated by the regional executive agency Farmahem from Skopje, with backstopping support from Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation.
The event was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republika Srpska, gathering 20 representatives from institutions, academia, and civil society organizations.
The training aimed to strengthen participants’ understanding of the interconnections between climate change, land use, and landscape fire management (LFM), and to equip them with tools for developing effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Day 1 featured two expert lectures:
- Prof. Dr. Milan Mataruga presented “Climate Change and Its Impact on Forests and Ecosystems,” highlighting how temperature and precipitation shifts in the region affect forest health, biodiversity, and productivity. He emphasized the need for adaptive forest and ecosystem management to enhance resilience.
- Dr. Branislav Bijelić delivered a presentation on “Land Use – Current State and Perspectives in the Context of Landscape Fire Management,” focusing on challenges such as land fragmentation, agricultural abandonment, and unsustainable practices that increase fire risk. He stressed the importance of sustainable land-use planning and integrating fire risk management into rural and spatial development policies.
Participants later joined group discussions to analyze these topics from their institutional and professional perspectives, identifying key challenges and proposing solutions to strengthen ecosystem resilience and reduce fire risk.
Day 2 focused on two cross-cutting themes: LFM and gender equality.
- Prof. Dr. Mirza Dautbašić, a fire management expert, underlined the importance of prevention and presented data on fire occurrences in Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with examples from major European fires in 2025. His session included interactive group work and a quiz to enhance understanding of fire causes, impacts, and prevention strategies.
- Prof. Dr. Mersudin Avdibegović, an expert on gender equality, discussed “The Role of Women in Adapting to Climate Change and Risk Reduction.” He shared data on women’s participation in forestry and related sectors, highlighting the need for gender-sensitive policies and greater representation of women in decision-making roles.
Through group exercises, participants reflected on how gender perspectives are integrated into institutional planning and policy processes and suggested actions to strengthen the role of women in climate and LFM.
The training concluded with remarks from Cvetan Nikolovski, Team Leader of the LFMWB Programme, who emphasized the importance of continuous learning, cross-sector collaboration, and inclusive approaches for building climate-resilient landscapes and communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.