ISTANBUL, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye inaugurated the Istanbul Forest Innovation Week on Monday, gathering delegates from around 75 countries, 30 international organizations, and over 400 experts to address growing wildfire threats exacerbated by climate change.
Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said at the opening ceremony that about 64 percent of Türkiye's forests are in wildfire-prone areas, with 96 percent of forest blazes caused by human activities.
Türkiye has responded to more than 7,000 forest fires in 2025 alone, he added.
Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo, director of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat, said about 13.5 million hectares of forests were "burned globally in 2024 -- an area roughly the size of Greece."
Nabil Gangi, the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) deputy regional representative for Europe and Central Asia, stressed the need "to balance our economic ambitions in ways that do not harm nature."
Hosted by Türkiye in collaboration with the UNFF and FAO, the five-day event features discussions on AI, drones, and satellite monitoring for wildfire management, among others. ■
