Kathmandu, April 3 -- As Nepal enters the peak wildfire season, officials, researchers and community forest leaders have called for locally led nature-based solutions (NbS) to tackle rising fire risks.

The urgency was highlighted during three provincial consultations last week, where participants stressed that combining traditional ecological practices with modern technology offers the most effective defence against increasingly destructive wildfires.

Forest fires have risen sharply over the past decade. In the first half of 2024 alone, more than 5,000 incidents were recorded across 74 districts, with fires becoming more frequent, intense and difficult to control.

Provincial officials from Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim-regions that...