Quarter 2 Report, January - March 2023: South America Regional Fire Program

The program focuses on improving prevention, strategic planning, coordination, and training, as well as promoting interagency and international collaboration. This effort is part of a 20-year initiative by the US Forest Service International Programs and USAID to address crucial natural resource management issues in the South America Region. Leadership training for Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil was a key accomplishment for the quarter. Two L-280 Followership to Leadership courses were held in Peru, with 40 participants from various agencies that respond to wildland fires in the country. The courses were attended by students from neighboring countries, including Ecuador and Brazil, and were designed to standardize curriculum for wildland fire response in South America. A workshop was convened by the USFS in Brazil to review the status of training and qualification systems at federal agencies in Brazil and to develop a roadmap for collaborative structuring and standardization of those systems. The workshop brought together 13 participants from the USFS, IBAMA, ICMBio, FUNAI, and other organizations to advance the SAR Fire and Brazil FMF objective of standardizing interagency training and qualification systems within Brazil and across the Amazonian countries. The second edition of the virtual event "Women in Fire in South America" was held on March 8, promoting an exchange of experiences between firefighters and fire specialists from Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and the United States. Over 200 people participated from more than 10 countries, discussing issues such as reconciling home and family care with firefighting duties, occupying social spaces traditionally associated with males, and recognizing the importance of training. The South America Regional Fire Program builds capacity and strengthens partnerships among cooperating countries on all aspects of wildland fire management. Efforts focus on strengthening wildland fire management through improving prevention, strategic planning, coordination, and training, promoting interagency and international collaboration, and applying best practices and efficient knowledge-sharing across the region. The program engages multiple institutions, non-governmental organizations, academia, and the private sector, promoting considerations for diverse cultures and communities, and removing gender-based barriers to participation. USFS support includes technical capacity building areas such as fire prevention, strategic planning, coordination, and training, as well as promoting interagency and international collaboration. The program aims to develop a stronger network for fire management, applying best practices and efficient knowledge-sharing across the region. The South America Regional Fire Program is a key initiative to address crucial natural resource management issues in the South America Region. The program's progress on regional fire program objectives includes developing prevention strategies informed by regional socioeconomic drivers of fire and land use, promoting inter-agency coordination within and across countries, supporting and strengthening regional agreements for sharing resources and mutual aid, standardizing and synchronizing qualifications and training, and informing public-private financing for fire management and mitigation opportunities. The program's upcoming quarter 3 FY23 activities include continuing to build capacity and strengthen partnerships among cooperating countries, promoting interagency and international collaboration, and applying best practices and efficient knowledge-sharing across the region.