Abstract:
In the Mediterranean biome fire is a natural phenomenon that is being intensified due to
climate change, fire impact has also become more severe due to changing socioeconomic
factors like urban expansion and land use changes. Lebanon is a
Mediterranean country that has witnessed recurrent and severe forest fires, which were
mostly linked to human activity.
Forest fire risk is a factor of fire hazard and fire vulnerability which can be reduced
through sustainable forest management (SFM) following both top-bottom and bottomup
approaches that tackle the practical fire risk reduction factors while incorporating
social and economic factors. This research looks at the alignment between policy laws,
plans and applications by looking at national literature and examining the grounds
through three differently managed case study sites. Triangulation of interview results,
field visit reports and desk research results allowed the recognition of absence in
alignment between policies and forest fire management actions in Mediterranean
Lebanon, and the identification of factors that influence this alignment.
A reflective forest fire management framework shows that forest fire management can
be achieved through direct objectives and activities like it is witnessed in the case of
nature reserves, or through indirect means by adopting socially and economically driven
activities like the case of lands used for economic purposes.
