Information and Communications Warning System on Wildland Fire in Mozambique

The document investigates the current state of wildland fire management in Mozambique, identifying a lack of systematic interagency coordination and a gap in the dissemination of satellite fire data from national to local levels. It argues for a holistic fire management approach that integrates satellite monitoring, a national Fire Danger Rating System, and community-based fire management (CBFiM) to mitigate the ecological and livelihood impacts of increasing fire frequency.

• Wildland fire frequency in Mozambique has increased significantly, with nearly all forests in central and northern regions burning at least once per year, compared to a previous southern African return cycle of approximately 12 years.
• The rise in fire frequency is attributed to population growth, increased demand for land and income, and the breakdown of traditional land-use management systems due to political changes.
• Mozambique lacks a clear institutional framework and systematic interagency coordination for fire management, despite the existence of the 2007 National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Wildfire.
• Fire information is poorly disseminated; satellite data from the Web Fire Mapper is primarily used by the Ministry of Agriculture's Forest Inventory Unit at the national level and is not systematically shared with provincial or district government organizations.
• At the community level, fire is often viewed as a normal land management tool rather than a problem, which hinders the reporting of fire occurrences.
• The document recommends establishing a national Fire Danger Rating System (FDRS) using synoptic weather data from 20 weather stations to help the National Institute for Disaster Management define readiness criteria.
• The author proposes a holistic fire management strategy based on five interdependent elements: analysis, prevention, preparedness, suppression, and rehabilitation.
• Community-based fire management (CBFiM) is recommended as a way to revive traditional knowledge of 'cold' or low-intensity early burning, which can reduce wildfire hazards and improve livelihoods.

APA

Hoffmann, A. A. (2009). Information and Communications Warning System on Wildland Fire in Mozambique. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mozambique_fire_warning_system.pdf

Chicago

Hoffmann, Anja A. Information and Communications Warning System on Wildland Fire in Mozambique. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2009. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mozambique_fire_warning_system.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hoffmann |first1=Anja A. |title=Information and Communications Warning System on Wildland Fire in Mozambique |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2009 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mozambique_fire_warning_system.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{homann2009information, author = {Hoffmann, Anja A.}, title = {{Information and Communications Warning System on Wildland Fire in Mozambique}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2009}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mozambique_fire_warning_system.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }