The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), UN-SPIDER’s Regional Support Office (RSO), has developed a programme in order to prevent and manage forest fires through the SERVIR-Himalaya Small Grants Programme, and in conjunction with the South Asian Forum for Environment (SAFE). The project includes a platform based on remote sensing information to understand how land use affects forest fires, and awareness campaigns among the local communities of Northeast India.
The platform is a one-window tool that offers data on hazard zones, vulnerable areas, accessibility, affected settlements, mitigation options, and future predictions to support disaster preparedness. According to Nilayam Tam, Director of the State Forest Research Institute in Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh, ”GIS and remote sensing are such important and empowering tools that they must be integrated into core forest management... read more