Local community participation and volunteerism in wildfire area management: A systematic review

Year 2023, Volume: 24 Issue: 3, 251 - 261, 30.09.2023

Sezin Kete

https://doi.org/10.18182/tjf.1278432

Abstract

Wildfires have caused considerable economic, ecological, and social damage in recent years. For this reason, decision-makers in wildfire management (WFM) have face increasingly difficult challenges. While decision support systems help decision-makers, it is clear that some deficiencies still persist. In this context, it is thought that the active role of local people involved in wildfire management can eliminate these deficiencies because they have experience and direct knowledge about fighting wildfires in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas. Hence, their expertise can be utilized in future wildfire containment efforts. In this study, the author presents some general information about WUI, public participation, and the decision-making process and its relation to wildfires. In addition, the author will also examine previous studies on the participation of local people in wildfire management and investigate the decision-making processes regarding this issue by using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) technique. The results of this study suggest that there should be a widespread adoption of the community-based integrated fire management (CBIFM) approach, instead of the top-down management approach commonly employed in wildfire management. The results strongly suggest that decision-makers should reach a consensus as to how the principle of participation in fire management should work by reviewing the socio-economic interests of the local community.

Keywords

Forest fire, Wildland urban interface, Attendance, Decision-making

Thanks

The author would like to thank Professor Jose Borges for his encouragement in the development of this study. In addition, the author’s gratitude also extends to Professor Kenan Ok, who read the draft manuscript and contributed to its development. I would also like to acknowledge Max Dade for this insight in improving the language and overall clarity of the manuscript.

Yerel halkın orman yangın yönetimine katılımı ve gönüllülüğü - Sistematik bir inceleme

Abstract

Orman yangınları son yıllarda çok fazla ekonomik, ekolojik ve sosyal zarara neden olmuştur. Bu nedenle Orman Yangını yönetiminde (OYY) karar vericilerin işi giderek zorlaşmaktadır. Gelişen karar destek sistemleri karar vericilere yardımcı olsa da hala bazı eksikliklerin olduğu aşikardır. Bu bağlamda, yerel halkın orman yangını yönetiminde aktif rol almasının, hem bilgi toplayabilmesi hem de Yabanıl Kentsel Arayüz (YKA) alanlarında orman yangınıyla doğrudan karşılaşması nedeniyle bu eksiklikleri giderebileceği ve orman yangınıyla mücadelede faydalı olabileceği düşünülmektedir. Bu çalışmada, YKA, Halkın katılımı ve karar verme süreci hakkında genel bilgiler ve bunların orman yangını ile ilişkileri sunulduktan sonra, yerel halkın orman yangını yönetimine katılımı ve bu konudaki karar verme süreçlerinin nasıl ilerlediğine dair son çalışmalar Sistematik İncelemeler ve Meta-Analiz için Tercih Edilen Raporlama Öğeleri (PRISMA) tekniği kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda, orman yangını yönetiminde yukarıdan aşağıya yönetim yaklaşımı yerine Toplum Tabanlı Entegre Yangın Yönetimi (TEGY) yaklaşımının yaygınlaştırılması gerektiği ortaya çıkmıştır. Sonuçlar, karar vericilerin yerel toplumun sosyo-ekonomik çıkarlarını gözden geçirerek yangın yönetimine katılım ilkesinin nasıl işlemesi gerektiğine karar vermeleri gerektiğini kuvvetle önermektedir.

Keywords

Orman yangını, Yaban arazisi kentsel arayüz, Katılım, Karar verme

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