The Pyropolis serious game for wildfire management in Cyprus

A participatory serious game, Pyropolis, developed within the EU-funded SEMEDFIRE project, engages stakeholders in Cyprus to co-create an integrated wildfire management strategy. Adapted from Wageningen University’s Pyrotown, the game simulates rural-forest interface challenges, promoting collective intelligence in land planning. Workshops in 2024 involved officials, experts, and non-experts in role-playing scenarios to identify key measures: maintaining emergency access roads, establishing agro-mosaic buffer zones (e.g., vineyards, grazing lands), protecting endangered species, ensuring evacuation plans, and implementing strategic fuel reduction in abandoned areas. Emphasis is placed on prescribed burning, controlled grazing, and precise GIS data sharing to enhance landscape resilience. The project, led by EUC-CERIDES with support from Wageningen University and AGIF, aims to finalize a politically and scientifically sustainable strategy by Fall 2024, with follow-up workshops to refine educational tools. The initiative underscores the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation and community engagement in mitigating wildfire risks across Cyprus’s 42% natural vegetation landscape.