About the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence
Coexisting with wildfire represents a transformational shift in understanding of the ecological, cultural, and social benefits, in addition to costs, of fire. It encompasses a paradigm shift toward restoration of fire as a vital ecosystem process and Indigenous cultural practice, as well as proactive management to decrease risk and increase community resilience across diverse ecosystems.
Vision
To enable society to coexist with wildfire.
Mission
To take a holistic view of wildfires and catalyze transformative changes to fire and forest management that are urgently needed to address social-ecological impacts of contemporary wildfires and coexist with future wildfires.
Rationale
Wildfire is an essential social-ecological process across diverse ecosystems of British Columbia and Canada; however, contemporary wildfires are the culmination of a century of altered human-forest-wildfire relationships, exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change. The number and frequency of extreme wildfire events and fire seasons are increasing, with unprecedented ecological, social, and economic impacts that have repeatedly demonstrated that the ecosystems, infrastructure, and communities in British Columbia are not resilient. These threats require a novel approach for society to adapt and coexist with wildfire.
Mandate
Coexisting with wildfire requires recognizing and strengthening diverse knowledges, supporting social relationships that enable shared decision-making, and building capacities that contribute to community and ecosystem resilience, while proactively managing wildfire risk using new, innovative technologies.
The Centre for Wildfire Coexistence aims to achieve this mandate by integrating four key elements, aligned with UBC’s Strategic Plan for 2018–2028, Shaping UBC’s Next Century:
Research Excellence – Our interdisciplinary research provides the holistic understanding of wildfires needed to catalyze urgently needed changes to fire and forest management.
Local and Global Engagement – Solutions to the wildfire crisis require an all-of-society approach, with novel and innovative knowledge extension achieved by dedicated specialists who engage collaborators at local-to-global scales.
Transformative Learning – New programs address a critical gap in professional training and capacity in wildfire science and management at the provincial and national levels.
Technology and Infrastructure – Innovation and collaborative research aims to inform and support wildfire management and help ensure landscapes and communities are more resilient to wildfire.