Portugal and Spain reinforce cooperation against forest fires with FIREPOCTEP AVANZA

·        The new European initiative will allocate 4.3 million euros until 2028 to promote sustainable forest management and protect the Raya territory against extreme fires

May 12, 2026.The FIREPOCTEP AVANZA project, coordinated by the Comunidade Intermunicipal da Região de Coimbra (CIM RC), begins a new stage of cooperation between Spain and Portugal to strengthen prevention, risk management, awareness, training, and response to extreme forest fires in La Raya.

The public presentation and first meeting of the project will be held tomorrow, May 13, at the Municipal Theater of Lousã (Portugal), bringing together institutional representatives, public administrations, universities, technical entities, and actors linked to forest management and civil protection from both countries.

FIREPOCTEP AVANZA (0413_FIREPOCTEP_AVANZA_6_P) is co financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), within the framework of the Interreg VI A Spain Portugal Program (POCTEP) 2021 2027. The project has a total budget of 4.3 million euros and will run between January 2026 and December 2028.

CONTINUITY OF A CROSS BORDER STRATEGY

FIREPOCTEP AVANZA was born as a continuation of the initiatives promoted by FIREPOCTEP and FIREPOCTEP+, consolidating a cross border cooperation strategy against Large Forest Fires (GIF) based on territorial resilience, innovation, and shared governance.

The project continues to address the constant challenge of fire management through a systemic and integrated approach, aimed at promoting and applying forest management models adapted to the characteristics of the cross border territory. This strategy incorporates nature based solutions and tools aimed at improving decision making in the areas of prevention, emergency, and recovery of forest ecosystems.

Likewise, FIREPOCTEP AVANZA drives research and analysis on the impact of climate change and the growing severity of extreme forest fires, committing to the implementation of innovative technologies and the capitalization of experiences developed in previous projects.

PILOT AREAS AND RESILIENT ECOLOGICAL CORRIDORS

One of the fundamental pillars of the project will be the consolidation and expansion of the Pilot Areas (PA) and the Strategic Management Zones (SMZ) developed in previous stages. FIREPOCTEP AVANZA will work on the interconnection of these zones through a network of resilient and strategic ecological corridors connecting protected natural areas along the cross border territory.

These corridors will act as natural barriers against the spread of fires, contributing to improving landscape resilience, favoring biodiversity, and strengthening adaptation capacity against the effects of climate change.

The project will also continue to promote demonstrative actions adapted to the characteristics of each territory, favoring knowledge transfer and the practical application of innovative solutions on the ground.

TRAINING, PARTICIPATION, AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

FIREPOCTEP AVANZA will also reinforce training and capacity building tasks aimed at technical agents, local administrations, rural population, and other strategic sectors linked to forest management and fire prevention.

The project will place special emphasis on dynamizing territorial participation and the active involvement of local communities in sustainable forest management proposals. At the same time, it will seek to contribute to strengthening resilient rural economies to combat depopulation and territory abandonment trends, factors closely related to the increased risk of forest fires.

PUBLIC PRESENTATION AND FIRST MEETING OF THE CONSORTIUM

Tomorrow's launch day will include an institutional opening session with representatives from the Municipality of Lousã, the Coimbra Metropolitan Region, management authorities of the Interreg POCTEP program, and the European Commission. Subsequently, the official presentation of the project will take place by the Executive Secretariat of the CIM RC, followed by a round table on cross border cooperation in rural fire management, with the participation of experts from Spain and Portugal.

In addition to the public presentation, the first consortium meeting will take place on May 13 and 14, addressing the technical activities of the project, management and coordination strategies, and various technical visits related to the prevention and study of forest fires.

CONTACTS

Coordinator: José Lopes (jose.lopes@cim-regiaodecoimbra.pt)

Communications Manager: Agustín Quesada López (aquesada@feuga.es)