The 4th and 6th Staff-Exchange Twinning Visits took place between the 8th and 11th of April 2024, in Nicosia Cyprus. The visits were hosted by the European University Cyprus – CERIDES. The SEMEDFIRE project teams from Pau Costa Foundation and the Wageningen University & Research visited Cyprus to attend the events, meetings, presentations and activities organised by EUC-CERIDES.
The main events for the week were the common events by SEMEDFIRE and ResAlliance projects held from April 9th to 11th, 2024. The events were highly successful in promoting landscape resilience and integrated fire management. Organized by EUC-CERIDES, these events featured workshops, presentations, and collaborative exercises involving a diverse group of stakeholders, including professionals from agriculture and forestry, government officials, researchers, and civil society representatives. Key activities included strategic management sessions, fire management workshops, and discussions on best practices for landscape resilience.
Participants engaged in practical exercises and simulations to develop integrated fire management strategies and landscape resilience practices. Notable contributions came from experts across Europe, who shared insights on wildfire management, inte-ragency cooperation, and sustainable land management. The events fostered significant knowledge exchange and reinforced the importance of collaborative efforts in enhancing regional resilience to natural disasters.
The Staff-Exchange Twinning visit #4 (SET-4) and #6 (SET-6) were strategically planned in parallel between them and alongside the Interim Project Consortium meeting and the 5th Steering Committee Meeting to enhance time and cost efficiency. This arrangement also provided Advanced Partners with opportunities to share experiences and engage with key local stakeholders. The events were organized to create synergistic effects and optimize resource utilization.
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) SEMEDFIRE project team member participated in the 3-day events. On April 9th, a working session on “Strategic Management Areas” was held with participation from various stakeholders, including the Department of Forests of Cyprus and the Cyprus Civil Defence Force. The session included a practical exercise on designing strategic management areas, which received positive feedback, particularly from the Department of Forests. The Interim Consortium Meeting of SEMEDFIRE followed in the afternoon.
The key event on April 10th focused on Integrated Fire Management, featuring presentations from various experts on fire management in Cyprus, stakeholder involvement, interagency cooperation, and the use of serious games like “Pyropolis” for fire management training.
The final day of SET-4, April 11th, included activities conducted in synergy with the EU-funded project “ResAlliance.” Under the auspices of the Environment Commissioner of Cyprus, the event featured talks on water retention techniques, resilient hedgerow installation, land stewardship for resilience, and controlled grazing in strategic areas. These discussions emphasized building resilience against environmental challenges like flash floods and droughts and highlighted collaborative strategies for land management. The visit concluded with the creation of detailed debriefing reports to capitalize on the insights and interactive experiences gained during the sessions.
The Staff-Exchange Twinning visit (SET-6) of SEMEDFIRE brought two members of the Pau Costa Foundation (PCF) to Cyprus. The visit commenced on April 9th with a working session on wildfire management strategies led by Jordi Vendrell.
The following day featured the Integrated Fire Management session, attended by fire management experts from various countries. The session included presentations on past wildfire incidents in Cyprus, integrated fire management strategies, stakeholder involvement, and inter-agency cooperation.
On April 11th, the focus shifted to landscape resilience, with discussions on controlled grazing, agro-forestry, and ecosystem services. This workshop, held at Ktima Christoudia Winery, included a field visit and interactive sessions in a World Café style, further exploring collaboration strategies for resilience and natural water retention measures. The synergistic organization of these events underlined the project’s commitment to fostering comprehensive understanding and cooperation in wildfire and landscape management.
More information about the events are included in the Pre-event and after-event articles from EUC-CERIDES website.
Find out more and follow SEMEDFIRE’s activities, results and news on our Social Media Profiles: X.com, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
