WWF: Too few resources used for fire prevention

Eighty-four percent of the resources allocated to forest management over the last five years are related to fire suppression and only 16% for their prevention, according to environmental organization WWF Hellas’ report on the end of this year’s fire season.

This translates to 771,213,375 euros in the former case compared to 149,343,062 euros in the latter.

Among a long list of conclusions, it said the forest service, tasked to implement preventive measures through forest management, has struggled over the last 20 years with staff reductions of up to 53% and resource reductions of up to 80%.

Given that humans are to blame for most fires in Greece and, as it turned out this year, the country’s firefighting mechanism is limited, generous investment in forest management is now more necessary than ever, it stressed. 

Around 150,000 hectares of forest was burned this year, the second worst tally in 20 years.