-
With the participation of the Agency for Development and Cohesion (AD&C), as well as the Directorate-General for European Funds of Spain.
-
Project co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Spain–Portugal (POCTEP) 2021–2027 Programme.
-
More news about FIREPOCTEP AVANZA and previous initiatives.
On 15 July 2026, the 1st FIREPOCTEP AVANZA Seminar was held at the Autonomous University of Madrid. The project is co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Spain–Portugal (POCTEP) 2021–2027 Programme. The event marked the official launch of the youth volunteer programme and brought together institutional representatives, universities and wildfire prevention experts.
Under the motto bringing knowledge from the classroom to the field, the seminar showcased how the FIREPOCTEP AVANZA training programme is translated into practical wildfire prevention actions. In this context, the young participants of the “Vuelta al Mundo” initiative played a leading role, actively taking part in the discussions and raising numerous questions on wildfire prevention, environmental education and climate change adaptation.
Following this first session, the expedition continued its journey through the province of Ourense. In San Xoán de Río, participants took part in a Nendo Dango workshop, learning a technique for producing clay seed balls for environmental reforestation. They also visited an Aerial Firefighting Base, where they gained first-hand insight into aerial firefighting resources and the work carried out by wildfire suppression crews.
The seminar featured the participation of leading institutional and academic representatives. Among the keynote speakers were Miguel Manso Silvan, Vice-Rector for Campus and Sustainability at the Autonomous University of Madrid; M.ª del Carmen Hernández Martín, Deputy Director-General for European Territorial Cooperation at the Spanish Ministry of Finance; Isabel Gonçalves, from the Agency for Development and Cohesion (AD&C); Fernando Pulido Díaz, from the University of Extremadura; Juan Ramón Molina, from the University of Córdoba, who addressed different aspects of forest management; and José Miguel Pérez Blecua, Mayor of San Xoán de Río.
Youth volunteering for wildfire prevention
The event marked the starting point of an initiative combining training, youth participation and field-based learning to strengthen wildfire prevention and promote greater environmental awareness in response to the challenges of climate change.
FIREPOCTEP AVANZA is a cross-border cooperation project co-funded by the Interreg VI-A Spain–Portugal (POCTEP) 2021–2027 Programme and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The initiative builds on the work carried out through projects such as FIREPOCTEP and FIREPOCTEP+, while also drawing on the experience gained through CILIFO, with the aim of strengthening wildfire prevention, risk management, training, public awareness and emergency response across the Spain–Portugal border region.
Its main areas of action include the development of Strategic Management Zones (ZEG), the creation and consolidation of productive firebreaks, improved preventive land management, the training of professionals and volunteers, and enhanced cooperation between public authorities and emergency services on both sides of the border. Through these actions, FIREPOCTEP AVANZA seeks to increase territorial resilience and improve coordination and response capacity in the face of increasingly complex and severe wildfires.