Policy Support for Wildfire Management and Contingency Planning in the United Kingdom

Impact: Environmental impacts, Legal impacts, Societal impacts, Technological impacts

Narrative

Wildfire was barely recognised as a significant hazard in the UK prior to University of Manchester (UoM) research, that significantly changed stakeholders’ and national policy-makers’ awareness. This work on mapping and forecasting moorland wildfire risk has informed the Cabinet Office, and has demonstrated clear impact on fire preparedness planning in the Peak District National Park (where it is estimated that a large fire is potentially avoided each year). Following an ESRC-NERC seminar series (FIRES), the England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF) was established, with EWWF persuading Government to further amend national policy on wildfire. This impact is ongoing, with DEFRA including wildfire in its ‘National Adaptation Programme’, and the Cabinet Office recently including wildfire within the ‘National Risk Assessment’ framework.
Impact date20042014
Category of impactEnvironmental impacts, Legal impacts, Societal impacts, Technological impacts
Impact levelBenefit