"Incidences of destructive fire throughout the world seem to be on the rise," said a media statement issued jointly by the World Conservation Union, the Nature Conservancy and the WWF ecology group.

"A preliminary evaluation suggests that the year 2000 alone saw 92 million hectares (227 million acres) of forest burned worldwide, an area the size of France and Spain combined and equal to about 2.4 percent of global cover."

The Global Fire Partnership was announced at the once-a-decade WPC, hosted by the World Conservation Union and attended by 2,500 delegates from 170 countries who are discussing how to safeguard environmentally protected areas.

The fire partnership will focus on prevention through community-based projects by educating residents and encouraging alternatives to traditional fire uses.

It will also promote the restoration of ecosystems to prevent the recurrence of fires, and involve governments in enforcing laws.

"The intent of the partnership is to provide an integrated strategy that can serve as guidance for fire managers, governments and communities," WWF International Director General Claude Martin said in the statement.

Regions most affected include North America, Europe, west Africa and southeast Asia.

In Ghana alone, some 29 percent of the forests have been lost due to repeated fires since 1983, with a further 55 percent partially degraded.

Economic losses due to fires in southeast Asia added up to three billion dollars in 1998, while forest fires burned more than 680,000 hectares in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy in the year 2000.

A total of nine billion dollars was estimated lost worldwide in 1998, an amount equivalent to 20 percent of current total global spending on overseas development aid, the statement said.

Nature Conservation chief executive Steve McCormick said that while too much fire was destructive too little fire could also be a problem.

"Many ecosystems, plant and animal species depend on natural fire cycles, and in the absence of fire, crucial biological and ecological processes like regeneration and nutrient cycling are interrupted," he said.

"While too much fire is often the major issue, fire suppression and lack of fire in ecosystems that burn naturally is also a problem to be addressed."

TERRA.WIRE