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Firewise Communities – helping neighbourhoods prepare and respond to wildfires
Photo: Fire at Upton Heath, Dorset, in 2011 adjacent to the Dorset Firewise community just prior to their evacuation. Photo Credit: Urban Heaths Partnership Last year, Firewise Communities launched in Dorset as part of a new UK initiative to provide community guidance and support for preparing and responding to wildfires. Dr Adriana Ford, our Centre […]
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PhD Studentship: The complexity of adopting environmental management, conservation and restoration initiatives within fire-prone landscapes
Project description There is a global push to better manage, conserve and restore ecosystems to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crisis. For example, restoration targets such as the Bonn challenge – aiming to restore 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030 – encourage widespread forest restoration. At the same time, the frequency […]
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PhD Studentship: Incentives, Politics, Policies and Wildfire
Project Description Wildfire and human activity interact in complex ways. Identifying the mechanisms through which human behaviour influences wildfire outcomes is crucial for developing effective mitigation and adaptation policies, especially given the uncertainty introduced by the changing climate. This project will add to the understanding of the human drivers of wildfire. The candidate will develop […]
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PhD Studentship: Long-term interactions between vegetation, fire and human impact in Guyana
Applications are invited for a four year fully funded PhD in Tropical Palaeoecology within the Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society. The Project The studentship will be based in the Department of Geography, RHUL and supervised by Dr. Daniele Colombaroli, Centre for Quaternary Research (CQR), Prof. Jay Mistry, Associate Director of the Leverhulme Centre […]
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PhD Studentship in Environmental Science: The impact of anthropogenic land-use changes on fire regimes during the Holocene
Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD on the impact of anthropogenic land-use changes on fire regimes during the Holocene, based at the University of Reading Department/School: Geography & Environmental Science/ School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science, Reading Supervisor: Professor Sandy P. Harrison Project Overview: Land-use change has been one of the major […]
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London NERC DTP NPIF PhD Studentship: Hyperspectral and Thermal Remote Sensing of Landscape Fire Properties
Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD in the Remote Sensing of Landscape Fire, to be based in the Department of Geography, King’s College London. Funded by the National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) and delivered through the London NERC London DTP, the PhD relates to the NPIF themes of transformative digital technologies, satellites/space technologies, […]
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New study using state-of-the-art fire-vegetation models estimates a 10% global reduction in tree covered area and vegetation carbon storage due to fire
Terrestrial ecosystems, particularly large forests, represent an important source of carbon uptake and storage, but their capacity to do so can be impacted by the occurrence of fire. Other factors, such as drought and herbivory also interact within ecosystems, making it difficult to determine to what extent fire impacts the carbon cycle, and therefore how […]
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With the threat of wildfires increasing, how is the UK’s response being coordinated?
Photo: Paul Hedley, Chief Fire Officer of Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service The UK is not a wildfire hotspot, when compared to places such as the Mediterranean or Australia, yet wildfires still pose a threat to life, health and property. This risk is only likely to grow with climate change, with wildfires increasing in frequency […]
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PhD Studentship: Machine Learning and Data Assimilation for accurate wildfire predictions
Project Description This project aims to incorporate machine learning algorithms in data assimilation processes to improve efficiency and accuracy of wildfire estimations and predictions. The resulting models will assimilate data of wildfire variables (fire incidence, burnt area, fire duration, emissions etc) and wildfire drivers (a wide range, e.g. vegetation-related variables, climate related variables, human/society related […]
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Adapting to a changing climate in the management of wildfires – what we know, and what we need to do
By Dr Adriana Ford, Centre Manager (Photo: OECD Conference Centre in Paris) Recognising the significant impact that wildfires can have on socio-economic development, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) held an international conference “Adapting to a changing climate in the management of wildfires”, jointly organised with PLACARD, on the 16-17 January 2020 in […]
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