In terms of wildfires, 2023 was among the worst years in Europe in a century. With climate impacts and increasing socioeconomic vulnerability, strengthening the resilience of forest ecosystems and communities is paramount for the EU. While the human factor is a key driver of the degradation and destruction of forests, there is often a predominant focus on technical solutions for forest management, rather than considering broader societal changes. Consequently, the potential role of culture and arts, informed by science, in actively engaging citizens in the implementation of the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030 might be underestimated or overlooked.

Objective

We aim to explore how culture and arts, informed by science, can contribute to strengthening the resilience of EU forests against wildfires over the next years. Our goal is to formulate concrete policy-relevant recommendations for the future.

Date and Time: June 13, 2024, from 10:00 to 13:00 CET
Location: Joint Research Center (JRC)’s Headquarters, CDMA Building, 21 Rue du Champ de Mars / Marsveldstraat 21, B-1050 Brussels
Format: Hybrid (20 in-person participants, and possibility to follow online)

Panelists

We are honored to host the following distinguished panelists:

• Francis Joy: Researcher on the re-emergence of Sámi spirituality and member of Northern Art, Community and Environment Research (NACER)
• Margherita Pevere: Bioartist, Researcher, and Performer, part of the Lament project
• Tânia Ricardo from the Community of Santa Comba Dão, recently involved in an artistic experimentation led by the LAMENT project
• Conceição Colaço: Researcher on Fire Education and Communities from ISA/ULisboa and FIRE RES

Registration

To attend the event, please register by sending an email to JRC-RESONANCES@ec.europa.eu. Include your full name, ID number, and date of birth for building access purposes. Detailed instructions for accessing the JRC building will be provided upon registration.

Language

The panel will be conducted in English.

Organizers and Supporters

This event is organized by Pro(to)topia Consulting, with the support of CoLAB ForestWISE, the School of Agriculture | Instituto Superior de Agronomia – ULisboa, Euromontana, the EU-funded project FIRE RES, and the JRC SciArt Project Lament.

On 12 June, the day before the panel discussion, the LAMENT project will be presented in a performance at the iMAL Art Center for Digital Cultures & Technology in Brussels. The performance will be followed by a ‘show and tell’ event with the artists to present the participatory artwork developed together with the inhabitants of the community of Santa Comba Dão (PT).

Contact Information

You can see here the Flyer of the event. For any inquiries, please contact us at JRC-RESONANCES@ec.europa.eu.