According to ICIMOD's Forest Fire Detection and Monitoring in Nepal software, which keeps a real-time track of forest fires in Nepal, there were 53 fires raging in 16 different districts throughout Nepal as this editorial was being written on Friday. The day was no different to any other day in the previous one week, a week during which, according to Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network Foundation, there were 473 different instances of forest fires in Nepal. Things could get a lot worse in the days ahead as the months of March, April and May are considered peak time for such fires. Even by historical standards, the start of this summer is proving to be particularly brutal for our forests. If we compare the number of fire incidents in the second week of March to average such instances in the same time period in each of the past eight years, the number of forest fires this year has increased by an astounding 369 percent. As a result, over 200,000 hector of forests are gutted by fire every year. But what is causing such an alarming increase in the number of forest fires and can't something be done about it?Nepal is a country with great variety of ecosystems that contribute to unique land-use and climate conditions in different parts. But the state is yet to develop fire-fighting mechanisms that are tailored to particular regions. This means that what works for (cool) Kathmandu may not work for (hot) Udayapur, a district that has over the past one week witnessed an unprecedented number of forest fires. The current, one-size-fits-all approach to firefighting is not working. It has been found that most uncontrolled forest fires are the result of human negligence. Under dry conditions, it only takes a live cigarette butt to light up a whole forest. But there has been little in terms of raising the level of awareness on forest fires. For instance rural communities deliberately set fire to local vegetation in order to manage their agriculture lands. But since they can't properly manage these fires, they often go out of control, in the process causing great damages to local ecosystems and communities.
So it would be of great help if there were early warning systems in place so that the fires can be put out before they cause significant damage. But, again, these systems will work only with active support of local communities. And this is why it is so important to get the support of local forest user groups—that have been so successful in ensuring sustainable use of our forest resources—to manage and control forest fires. The local communities must be made to realize the great cost of neglecting this important issue. Over the years thousands of houses all over Nepal have been reduced to ashes due largely to lack of awareness among these communities. The lack of preparation of local government bodies to anticipate fires and work out proper firefighting measures has been as galling. It will take a collective effort to save Nepal's forests and with it the livelihoods of millions of Nepalis in rural communities across the country.
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