Within the framework of the KARST-SAFE and KARST ADAPT projects, co-financed by the Interreg Italy-Slovenia Programme, the activities to reduce the risk of fires in the Karst region and to increase the resilience of the entire Karst territory to climate change continued on 22/02/2025 at the Information Centre in Sistiana - Sesljan. The meeting, at which the Fire Action Plan and the Risk Map were presented, was organised by the Municipality of Duino Aurisina - Devin Nabrežina, a partner in both projects.
‘These are very important projects for the safety of our territory, which is particularly vulnerable, as we have seen with the massive fires of 2022,’ said Deputy Mayor of Duino Aurisina, Mitja Petelin, who is responsible for European projects in the municipal commission, in his welcome speech. ‘Today's meeting is an intermediate step in the path of implementation of development measures, which we are travelling together with our partners, whom I would like to thank,’ Petelin added.
He was joined by the mayor of the Municipality of Sežana, the main partner of KARST-SAFE, Andrej Sila. He emphasised that fire protection measures not only increase safety, but also allow large areas of land to be restored for the benefit of agriculture.
The analysis of fire risks in the Karst region was presented by the forestry expert appointed by LAS Karst, Giulio Cosola, and the representative of the Municipality of Sežana, Aleš Vodičar. They were joined by Riccardo Laterza, researcher at the Institute of International Sociology in Gorizia (ISIG), and Simon Vendramin, commander of the Nova Gorica Fire Brigade. All speakers emphasised the need for a broad spectrum of measures to prevent fires and the negative effects of climate change, including infrastructural interventions, educational activities, technological investments and cross-border spatial planning.
The meeting, organised by the Pro Loco Mitreo association, was also attended by the mayor of Duino Aurisina - Devin Nabrežina, Igor Gabrovec. ‘Through these two projects, we are developing a cross-border knowledge and experience exchange system to strengthen fire protection measures throughout the Carpathian region, introducing innovative approaches that will be useful for other countries facing similar challenges,’ said the mayor on the sidelines of the meeting.
