Wildland fires will remain part of Africa’s landscape, but their impact must be reduced. (Wikimedia Commons)
Wildland fires have become one of the clearest indicators of a changing climate. Over the recent decade, major fires in the continental United States, Hawaii, Canada and southern Europe, Algeria have caused extensive infrastructure damage, loss of lives, ecological damage and exacerbated the rate of climate change through the carbon dioxide and pollutants released into the atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, these disasters are attracting increasing global attention.
South Africa has faced its own losses, with 35 lives lost to wildland fires in a single year in 2024. In many instances such disaster wildland fires outstrip local capacity. For example, in 2023, Canada called in assistance from 12 countries in its worst ever recorded fire season.
This growing threat has contributed to a convergence of attention across multilateral platforms. In June 2025, the G7 leaders of this group of leading economies of the world, adopted the unprecedented Kananaskis Wildfire Charter. This charter reflects the rising international concern about climate-driven wildfire activity and calls for improved cooperation, scientific exchange, strengthened early-warning capability and a broader focus on prevention.
That same month, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization convened the first plenary of the Global Fire Management Hub. The Hub was established to support countries in developing integrated approaches to fire management, and its working groups are now focused on Community Based Fire Management, Fire Data and international interoperability. South Africa participates in the latter two working groups, contributing with its operational experience in integrated fire management in the country and abroad.
The United Nations Environment Programme has warned in its seminal study, Spreading Like Wildfire, that climate change and land-use pressures are likely to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme fires. These events have implications for health, air quality, ecosystems and national budgets.
For developing countries, repeated fire disasters can divert resources away from essential development priorities. This underscores the need for greater emphasis on prevention, preparedness and building resilience.
Within this context, South Africa’s G20 Presidency has located disaster risk reduction within the broader theme of solidarity, equality and sustainability. As chair of the G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group, South Africa has emphasised the need to move from discussion to practical implementation.
The Working Group’s agenda highlights innovative financing for disaster risk reduction, technology transfer and capacity-building, along with improved early-warning systems and the integration of risk information into planning. These priorities are central to managing the growing threat of wildland fires, even where fires themselves are not the focal point of each discussion.
The Brazilian government’s “Call to Action on Integrated Fire Management and Wildfire Resilience” and other platforms at the COP30, further highlights the convergence of international attention on the growing threat of climate change-induced wildland fires. The consensus in these international fora are * Prioritising Prevention over Response, * Adopting a “whole of society approach”, * Leveraging research, tools and technology that forecast, identify, and monitor wildland fires, * Collaboration across juridical boundaries / Countries, Enhancing international interoperability and * Collaborating on data collection and information sharing.
Practically, there are numerous regional fora already making considerable progress in forging regional collaboration in a range of areas relating to wildland fire management. In some regions such as North America, the EU and the Mediterranean Basin and Near East are relatively established, while regions such as Latin America and Asia are witnessing emerging regional collaboration forums.
Africa, however, remains lagging in the development of such coordinating structures, notwithstanding the continent accounting for 63% of the world’s surface area burned annually, with direct consequences for agriculture, biodiversity, public health and rural livelihoods. Yet investment in prevention, data systems and institutional capacity remains limited in Africa.
There is an urgent need for Sub-Saharan Africa to coalesce in developing mechanisms for practising Integrated Fire Management across the continent and ensure maximum sharing of knowledge, experience and resources to cope with climate change-induced wildland fires.
The drivers of fire on the continent are well understood. Climate variability interacts with land-use practices, including clearing, grazing and slash burning. The aim is not to eliminate fire altogether — fire is an ecological process in many African systems — but to manage it more effectively so that harmful impacts are reduced.
The high levels of socio-economic vulnerability in much of Africa, mean that many communities live and work in fire-prone environments without adequate services or infrastructure.
There are tested approaches that demonstrate what works. Fuel-load reduction remains one of the most effective ways to limit the intensity of fires. Community fire-awareness programmes and practical training reduce accidental ignitions and strengthen local readiness.
Early-warning systems, when supported by reliable satellite and meteorological data, give authorities and communities time to prepare during periods of high risk. Clear contingency plans and coordinated roles improve response efficiency when fires occur.
Wildland fires will remain part of Africa’s landscape, but their impact must be reduced. Strengthening prevention, improving local capacity and deepening trans-national co-operation will be essential steps toward building resilience.
The global focus on wildfire risk should translate into direct support for the communities and institutions that face this challenge every year. Ensuring that Africa is fully integrated into the emerging international agenda is central to any meaningful effort to build wildfire resilience at scale.
Integrated Fire Management (IFM) represents a comprehensive framework to manage wildland fires. It combines prevention, community engagement, detection, dispatch, suppression, rehabilitation and applied research within a single framework. South Africa’s Working on Fire programme is founded on the principles of IFM.
Over two decades it has built operational capacity, improved community awareness and created employment for young people. Its integration into the Expanded Public Works Programme demonstrates how disaster-risk reduction and social protection can reinforce one another. The programme’s experience is also reflected in multiple international deployments and cooperation, showing the value of shared training standards and preparedness.
To scale these approaches across the continent, predictable financing is essential. Many local governments lack the resources required for preparing firebreaks, equipment or specialised training. National disaster budgets often prioritise emergency relief rather than long-term risk reduction.
International climate and development finance and the private sector has yet to fully recognise wildfire risk as a priority, despite clear links to adaptation, health and emissions. The increased global focus on wildland fires offers an opportunity to address this imbalance.
Data is another critical gap. While global satellite products provide broad coverage, many African countries require locally calibrated indices and risk profiles to guide decision-making. Stronger data systems would help governments prioritise investments and assess the effectiveness of prevention measures. Regional cooperation is equally important, as fire patterns frequently cross borders. Harmonised data systems and shared operational frameworks would allow countries to collaborate more effectively.
The convergence of international attention on wildfire risk provides an opportunity for Africa to shape the emerging agenda. The continent brings significant ecological knowledge, long-standing experience with landscape fire and practical models of integrated fire management. What is needed is for these strengths to be reflected in global strategies and for investment to flow to the regions that burn most frequently.