For Environment, Democracy and Livelihoods
Forest fires are increasing in frequency, intensity, and impact due to the changing climate, land use transformations, and socio-economic shifts. These fires not only disrupt ecosystems but also threaten livelihoods, biodiversity, public health, and national economies. Addressing this crisis requires a holistic understanding of its drivers, dynamics, and implications, spanning science, technology, policy, and community action.
Forest fire management in developing countries presents a range of challenges – limited resources, weak institutional capacities, socio-economic constraints, landscape features among others. This is compounded by the impact of environmental and climatic factors, which poses threat to critical ecosystems and human lives. Nepal is not an exception wherein diverse challenges stemming from a complex interplay of environmental, ecological, and human factors have exacerbated the problem. Accumulation of dry biomass as a result of absence of human-forest interaction and rising outmigration and reduced reliance on forests all have contributed to weak forest fire management outcomes. Likewise, data and monitoring, that is crucial in decision making during forest fire events, is largely missing. Apart from declining community participation, cross-institutional coordination has either been insufficient or ineffective in responding to forest fire events.
A couple of questions are imperative to better understand the dynamics around strengthening forest fire management in Nepal – what motivates local communities in engaging in forest fire management?; what type of institutional structure would better play role in responding to, and preventing forest fire?; how has climate change fueled the forest fire problem?; what technological innovations is required to respond to forest fire in a developing country context?; Do better silvicultural systems play role in preventing forest fires?; how has the changing socio-economic structures of the society affecting forest fire management in Nepal?
To respond to these critical questions, Journal of Forest and Livelihood invites original research papers, reviews, and short communications for a special issue on “Challenges and Opportunities in Forest Fire Management in Nepal.” This special issue is a joint initiative of ForestAction Nepal and Institute for Study and Development World Wide (IFSD). It aims to advance interdisciplinary knowledge and inform evidence-based action in forest fire prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery in a developing country context.
– Economics and Financing of Forest Fire Management
– Forest Fires in Changing Climate
– Technological Innovations for Forest Fire Detection and Management
– Localising forest fire management
– Social and ecological impacts of forest fire
– Gender and social inclusion in managing forest fire
– Landscape features and fire behavior
– Cross-scale institutional arrangements in forest fire management
– Changing forest-people relations and implications on forest fire
– Silvicultural interventions in forest fire prevention
– Knowledge systems and fire management practices
– Deadline for submission of full manuscript: 15 November, 2025
– Comments from reviewers: 31 December 2025
– Final submission of the revised manuscript: 15 February, 2026
– Expected date of publication: May 2026
Submission email: submission@forestaction.org
For more information: manish.forestaction@gmail.com