Regional Course on Integrated Fire Management: Amazon Cooperation, Fire Management, Local Practices, Gender Approach, and Integrated Strategies.

Within the framework of the European Union's Amazonia+ Programme, and with the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Expertise France, the Global Affairs Canada project and the Global Fire Management Hub, hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as well as the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization and the Amazon Network for Integrated Fire Management (RAMIF), together with the Government of Ecuador and the Amazon Without Fire Programme (PASF), the FAO, through its Capacity Development Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO Campus, offers the virtual course “Introduction to Integrated Fire Management. Living with fire in a changing world”.

The course aims to strengthen the capacities of stakeholders involved in fire management in the Amazon region, promoting a comprehensive approach to understanding and addressing the challenges associated with wildfires in a context of environmental change. The training seeks to foster knowledge exchange, regional cooperation, and the incorporation of approaches that recognize the ecological, social, and cultural particularities of Amazonian territories, including the knowledge of local and Indigenous communities and the integration of a gender perspective.

Click to enroll

---

Course Fact Sheet:

Name: Introduction to Integrated Fire Management. Living with Fire in a Changing World.

Language:Spanish Portuguese and English

Course Type: Self-paced Course.

Total Duration: 20 hours.

Start Date: October 2026

Course format and methodology:

The course is delivered through an asynchronous online learning modality, promoting guided self-learning at each participant's own pace.

The course is organized into five units, with one unit to be completed per week. Each unit combines conceptual content, self-assessment questions, and supplementary materials.

Participants are expected to dedicate approximately 4 hours per week, for a total of 20 hours. Therefore, it is recommended that learners plan their available time accordingly to complete all course activities.

To obtain the final certificate, participants must complete the activities in each unit and successfully complete the final assessment.

Target audience:

Aimed at a diverse audience from Amazonian countries and Latin America and the Caribbean in general, including government authorities, technicians and professionals, indigenous peoples and local knowledge holders, civil society organizations, academia and the private sector.

We especially encourage the participation of women, youth, and representatives of Indigenous Peoples and other local knowledge holders, recognizing the value of their knowledge, experience, and leadership in these processes.

General objective:

To strengthen capacities to understand, apply and promote Integrated Fire Management in the Amazonian context and in Latin America and the Caribbean, integrating principles, good practices, governance and ecological, social and cultural particularities (including traditional knowledge), to plan, prevent and respond in an integrated way to wildfires, promoting resilience of ecosystems and communities.

Specific objectives:

• Understanding fire as a natural element and its historical use; differentiating between fire and wildfire.
• Explain the fire paradox and the components of the IFM; apply tools such as the Fire Management Triangle and device design.
• Recognize requirements for prescribed burns and to understand the ecological role of fire, fire regime, and response strategies.
• Integrate the cultural and intercultural dimension of fire and ancestral knowledge.
• Identify key elements of fire governance and regulatory/institutional frameworks for their implementation, including the role of local actors and women.

Contents:

The course is structured in five units that develop an integrated approach to Integrated Fire Management. It begins with the key concepts that underpin this approach, progresses to the principles and tools of fire management, and delves into fire ecology and its relationship with ecosystems. Subsequently, it integrates the social and cultural dimension linked to fire and culminates with an analysis of the policies and governance frameworks that guide its integrated and sustainable management.

Unit Name	Contents
Unit 1: Key Concepts of Integrated Fire Management	Fire as a natural element: origin, characteristics and historical uses by humanity. Conceptual and operational differences between fire and wildfire. The fire paradox: causes, dynamics and relationship with burning practices. Introduction to Integrated Fire Management: definition and description of its three fundamental components (prevention, preparedness-response and restoration-adaptation).
Unit 2: Fire Management	The Fire Management Triangle: analysis of its edges and its practical application. Components and criteria for the design of fire systems. Technical, environmental and operational requirements for the execution of prescribed burns.
Unit 3: Fire Ecology	Ecological role of fire in different ecosystems: positive and negative effects. Fire regime: components, variability and factors that modify its behavior. Fire response strategies and their ecological and functional implications in ecosystems.
Unit 4: Fire Culture	Fire as an element of life: its ecological, spiritual, social and productive significance. Importance of intercultural dialogue and construction of shared methodological frameworks for fire governance. Ancestral and traditional knowledge about the use of fire: contributions to sustainable intercultural management.
Unit 5: Policies and Governance Frameworks in Integrated Fire Management	Key elements of fire governance and its articulation with the IFM. Regulatory, institutional, participatory and coordination frameworks necessary to implement effective and sustainable governance. Integration of intercultural governance approaches: role of local actors, traditional communities, women and indigenous peoples.

Better:

• BE3

FAO responsible officials:

• Juan Ferrando (Forestry Officer - FAO)
• Daniel Segura (Integrated Fire Management Officer for LAC – FAO)

Implementation: FAO Campusrlc-capacitacion@fao.org

Click to enroll