Wildfire Risk Assessment for the Bulgarian National Disaster Risk Profile

The Wildfire Risk Assessment for the Bulgarian National Disaster Risk Profile project was dedicated to forest fire risk reduction in Bulgaria.

The project

The project was part of the technical assistance that the World Bank provided to the Bulgarian government for the purpose of achieving the “enabling conditions” for fire risk management proposed by the European Commission, focused specifically on climate change adaptation and risk reduction in the country. Among the goals of the World Bank’s work was the development of a national risk map for Bulgaria.

CIMA Research Foundation’s contribution

In this context, CIMA Research Foundation was commissioned to produce a risk assessment with regard to forest fires: using machine learning techniques, assessments were made regarding the susceptibility of the territory to fires and risk mapping was defined for the entire Bulgarian territory.

In addition to leading the susceptibility assessment and risk mapping, during the four months of participation in the project (January-April 2021), CIMA Research Foundation participated in virtual workshops with Bulgarian technicians and experts and coordinated with other entities involved in fire risk management as part of the development of the national risk profile.