Svake godine tisuće hektara šuma i močvarnih područja nestaju u plamenu, s nepovratnim gubicima za ekosustave, gospodarstvo i lokalne zajednice. No što kada bi postojala tehnologija koja omogućuje pravovremeno prepoznavanje potencijalnih žarišta i sprječavanje štete prije nego što se vatrena prijetnja uopće pojavi?
Upravo tim pristupom vodi se međunarodni projekt KEEP-GREEN, (akronim za “weighting and ranKing thE forEstry Places accordinG to the wildfiRE occurancE potaNtial”), koji zajednički provode Centar za investicije i razvoj poduzetništva (CIRP) i Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Univerzitet.
Povodom početka projekta danas je u Ankari održan službeni kick-off sastanak, čime je započela aktivna faza implementacije i strateško usklađivanje među partnerima.
Projekt se provodi u sklopu europske inicijative FUTURAL, sufinancirane sredstvima Europske unije kroz program Horizon Europe, te je usmjeren na razvoj inteligentnog sustava za upravljanje rizicima od požara, posebno na području Čapljine i Parka prirode Hutovo Blato — močvarnog područja od iznimne ekološke vrijednosti, zaštićenog Ramsarskom konvencijom.
Kroz primjenu naprednih tehnologija kao što su GIS sustavi, dronovi, IoT senzori i višekriterijsko odlučivanje (MCDM), projekt će omogućiti ranu identifikaciju područja pod visokim rizikom od požara, klasifikaciju po razinama rizika te predlaganje konkretnih preventivnih mjera. Cilj je smanjiti ekološke i gospodarske štete, istovremeno povećavajući otpornost prirodnih sustava i lokalne zajednice.
“U vremenu kada su klimatske promjene sve manje predvidive, inovativni pristupi poput KEEP-GREEN-a nude ključ za očuvanje najosjetljivijih prirodnih resursa. Suradnja s AYBU-om jamči ekspertizu i znanstvenu podlogu potrebnu za kvalitetnu provedbu. Vjerujemo da integracija naprednih tehnologija za zaštitu okoliša predstavlja snažan korak prema održivoj budućnosti, ne samo za lokalnu zajednicu, već i za europski kontekst”, poručila je Dijana Bošnjak, direktorica CIRP-a.
S tehnološkom spremnošću koja će dosegnuti razinu TRL 7, KEEP-GREEN cilja postati operativno rješenje primjenjivo diljem Europe.
KEEP-GREEN: Advancing Fire Prevention Through Smart Technologies
Each year, thousands of hectares of forests and wetlands are lost to flames, resulting in irreversible damage to ecosystems, the economy, and local communities. But what if there were technologies that could identify potential fire hotspots in time and prevent the damage before the threat even materializes?
This is precisely the approach of the international project KEEP-GREEN (acronym for “weighting and ranKing thE forEstry Places accordinG to the wildfiRE occurancE potaNtial”), jointly implemented by the Center for Investment and Entrepreneurship Development (CIRP) and Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University.
To mark the start of the project, an official kick-off meeting was held today in Ankara, initiating the active phase of implementation and strategic coordination among partners.
The project is carried out within the European FUTURAL initiative, co-funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe programme, and focuses on developing an intelligent wildfire risk management system, particularly for the Municipality of Čapljina and Hutovo Blato Nature Park, a wetland area of exceptional ecological value protected under the Ramsar Convention.
By integrating advanced technologies such as GIS systems, drones, IoT sensors, and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methodologies, the project will enable early identification of high-risk zones, classification based on risk levels, and the proposal of concrete preventive measures. The goal is to reduce environmental and economic losses while strengthening the resilience of natural systems and local communities.
“In an era of increasingly unpredictable climate patterns, innovative approaches like KEEP-GREEN offer essential tools for protecting our most sensitive natural resources. The collaboration with AYBU ensures the scientific foundation and expertise needed for high-quality implementation. We believe that integrating advanced environmental protection technologies marks a strong step toward a sustainable future — not just for the local community, but within the broader European context,” stated Dijana Bošnjak, Director of CIRP.
With technology readiness projected to reach TRL 7, KEEP-GREEN aims to become an operational solution deployable across Europe.
This sub-project has received funding from the project FUTURAL (Grant Agreement number : 101083958) through its Open Call fundend by the Europen Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.
