Building Resilience Against Wildfires in a Changing Climate

The Human Cost of Recent Fires

Yasmina Gharbi, a schoolgirl from Tunisia, and Yasmina Gharbi’s family survived a forest fire that broke out in the region of Ain Draham, Tunisia. Around five hundred people were displaced and hundreds of acres were reduced to ash, yet Yasmina Gharbi’s family received no warning before the flames arrived.

In the same summer, extreme heat nearing fifty deGrees Celsius ignited a series of wildfires in neighboring Algeria. Those fires claimed at least thirty‑four lives and forced thousands to flee their homes.

These tragedies underscore a stark reality: scorching, arid summers transform the forested and agricultural landscapes of North Africa into tinderboxes ready to ignite. When fire spreads, it destroys timber, crops, and habitats, while also placing human lives in imminent danger.

Because climatic patterns are shifting toward greater volatility, the need for trustworthy, real‑time weather and climate data has never been more pressing. Communities must be able to anticipate danger, adjust daily activities, and mobilize emergency resources before flames can do irreversible damage.

First‑hand Testimony from the Front Lines

Imed, a local sailor who participated in rescue operations during the Ain Draham blaze, explained the consequences of lacking advance information: “Approximately eighty percent of Maloula’s forests were burnt to the ground. Large areas of forest. If we had got the information in advance, as sailors, we could have helped better. We could have provided the necessary aid alongside rescuing people.”

Imed’s words highlight a critical insight: early warnings not only protect civilians but also enable volunteers, rescue crews, and local workers to coordinate their response more efficiently.

How the WISER Project Tackles Communication Gaps

Gree Media Action’s WISER project operates in Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria with a clear mission: to strengthen the role of media in raising awareness and improving preparedness for natural hazards such as wildfires and flooding. Through extensive research, the project uncovered several obstacles that undermine effective reporting. Distrust of state broadcasters emerged as a recurring barrier, while the need for communication in local languages and rapid updates via social‑media micro‑influencers proved essential for reaching audiences that rely on mobile devices for information.

Armed with these findings, the WISER project forged partnerships with community broadcasters, emergency management agencies, weather‑forecasting services, and forestry officials. By co‑creating communication strategies, the project succeeded in delivering timely, accurate alerts to more than one million residents across the region.

Building on that success, the WISER project expanded its footprint into adjacent territories, engaging a broader coalition of partners. These collaborations span traditional radio, television, online platforms, and grassroots networks, each contributing a piece of the communication puzzle needed to confront future climate‑driven emergencies.

Multilingual Content Production and Community Reach

One cornerstone of the WISER project is the co‑production of content in multiple languages. Local journalists and broadcasters receive support to craft stories, weather briefings, and safety guidelines that resonate with the cultural and linguistic realities of each audience. By delivering messages in the languages spoken at the household level, the project ensures that crucial information is not lost in translation.

The multilingual approach extends beyond written text. Radio spots, television bulletins, and short video clips are simultaneously recorded in Arabic, Berber, and French, allowing listeners and viewers to receive the same warning regardless of the language they speak.

Through these efforts, communities that depend on precise climate data for decisions about planting, livestock management, and daily travel now have access to trusted sources that speak directly to them.

Training Journalists and Enhancing Reporting Quality

Understanding audience needs and harnessing the power of media are only part of the equation. The WISER project also delivers targeted training to journalists, producers, and editors throughout the region. Workshops focus on interpreting meteorological data, translating complex climate concepts into understandable language, and using visual storytelling techniques to capture attention.

Training modules emphasize the creation of content that is both technically accurate and emotionally engaging. Participants learn how to weave personal narratives—such as the experience of Yasmina Gharbi—into broader risk‑communication messages, turning abstract data into vivid, actionable advice.

After completing the training, media professionals report increased confidence in covering climate‑related topics, higher audience engagement metrics, and a measurable rise in the number of early‑warning bulletins broadcast during fire‑season peaks.

Data Sharing, Early Warning, and Community Action

At the heart of the WISER project lies a robust data‑exchange framework. Meteorological agencies feed real‑time temperature, humidity, and wind‑speed data into an open platform that media partners can access instantly. When conditions cross predefined risk thresholds, automated alerts trigger the dissemination of pre‑approved messages across radio, television, and social‑media channels.

This rapid‑alert system was instrumental during a recent fire event in the forested zone of Maloula. As the temperature climbed and wind patterns shifted, the system sent an early warning to local broadcasters. The broadcast prompted residents—including Shams and Shams’s family—to gather essential supplies, secure livestock, and evacuate vulnerable structures before the blaze reached populated areas.

By closing the loop between scientific observation, media dissemination, and community response, the WISER project demonstrates how coordinated communication can translate raw climate data into lifesaving actions.

International Partnerships and Knowledge Exchange

Gree Media Action serves as an official media partner of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress held in Abu Dhabi. Within that partnership, Gree Media Action hosted a media pavilion that showcased the power of storytelling to highlight the interconnected challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change.

Through such international collaborations, the WISER project imports best practices from global experts while exporting home‑grown solutions that reflect the realities of North‑African communities.

Looking Ahead: Scaling Resilience Across the Region

The achievements of the WISER project provide a solid foundation for scaling climate‑communication resilience across the wider Sahel and Mediterranean belt. Future plans include expanding the multilingual content library, integrating satellite‑based fire‑detection technology, and deepening engagement with local youth influencers who can amplify alerts on emerging digital platforms.

By continuously refining the feedback loop among scientists, media professionals, and citizens, the project aims to ensure that every household—from the far‑flung villages of Libya to the bustling towns of Tunisia—receives the precise, trusted information needed to protect lives, property, and the environment.

Ultimately, the goal is simple yet profound: to guarantee that individuals such as Yasmina Gharbi, families like Shams’s, and communities across North Africa never again face a wildfire without a timely, reliable warning.