Presentation short abstract

As repetitive wildfires question the efficiency of fire exclusion, community-based fire management is gaining prominence. Drawing on four Central and South American case studies, we show how land tenure and community agency shape power relations, project design and the long-term governance of fire.

Presentation long abstract

Many countries around the world are moving from fire exclusion policies towards more participatory approaches to fire management. The term ‘community-based fire management’ (CBFiM) is quickly gaining traction at an international level, but there is no clear definition of the term, and examples are diverse. Donor-funded CBFiM projects involve varying degrees of participation by local communities at different stages, ultimately impacting fire management outcomes. Moreover, the legacy effects of fire criminalisation policies and persisting epistemological inequalities can impede the effective participation of local communities in project design and the alignment of initiatives with local social-ecological realities. We examined how community agency influences the design and implementation of fire-management projects across four case studies in Belize, Brazil, Guyana, and Peru. Land tenure arrangements, pre-existing local fire uses and governance and the degree of agency afforded to local communities in project design have significant effects on immediate and longer-term project outcomes. Funding models also affect project outcomes: external funding can provide a significant opportunity to cover the cost of fire management and provide local employment opportunities but is often accompanied by requirements affecting project design and alignment with local priorities. Where project funding significantly alters local fire governance and management but funding then ceases, communities do not always maintain new forms of fire management or revert to arrangements that pre-dated the project. Effective local community participation in community-based fire management initiatives is pivotal both in their long-term persistence, but also to maximise social and environmental benefits of such initiatives.