Brazil Leads International Effort to Combat Wildfires at COP30
Belém,Brazil (November 6,2025) – At the COP30 Leaders’ summit today,Brazil spearheaded a commitment with a coalition of nations to adopt a voluntary “Call to Action on Integrated Fire Management and Wildfire Resilience.” The framework aims to strengthen global defenses against wildfires by integrating scientific research, effective policy, and the invaluable knowledge of conventional and Indigenous communities. This initiative arrives following a year of unprecedented forest loss driven by widespread fires, as documented by analysis from Global Forest Watch.
The call to Action acknowledges a concerning shift: last year marked the first time on record that fires became the leading cause of tropical primary forest loss, according to World Resources Institute (WRI) data.
“We’re entering an alarming new era,” stated Rod Taylor,global Director for the Forest Program at WRI. “this Call to Action signals that governments are waking up to the fact that preventing wildfires needs to be a top priority if they are to save the forests that underpin their economies.”
Taylor also highlighted the broad support for the initiative, noting the backing from civil society organizations and conservation groups across the tropics.
The surge in wildfires is attributed to climate-fueled conditions creating more frequent and intense fire seasons, often ignited by human activity - whether for large-scale agricultural clearing or as part of traditional land management practices. Latin America experienced a particularly devastating fire season last year, with surges in blazes across countries like Brazil and Bolivia reaching levels not seen in recent history.
WRI urges governments to leverage the Call to Action to significantly increase investment in fire prevention measures, develop robust early warning systems, and build resilient response capabilities.Addressing wildfire risk, the association emphasizes, must be coupled with aggressive reductions in emissions to mitigate the hotter, drier conditions that exacerbate fire danger.
A key component of the framework is its commitment to actively involve Indigenous and local communities – recognized as among the world’s most effective forest stewards – in the development and implementation of fire management and prevention strategies. WRI research demonstrates these communities are disproportionately impacted by wildfires. Effective programs should support traditional controlled burns and reduce reliance on fire as a land management tool during periods of high wildfire risk.
Initiatives like the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) offer potential mechanisms to incentivize investment in preventative strategies and improve the livelihoods of forest communities, with financial support tied to maintaining forest cover.
