Protecting La Réunion's forests against the risk of fire
The project
For several years now, there has been an increase in the number and size of forest fires in France and around the world; in some French overseas departments such as the Indian Ocean Island of Réunion, wildfires can simmer for weeks and then burst into flames again at any time, burning through and destroying plant formations. They are often due to human negligence.
The post-fire action plan steering committee
On October 25, 2011, a fire broke out in a forested massif of the island’s uplands, destroying almost 22% of the massif’s total surface area (some 2,800 ha or 7,000 acres). Following this tragedy, a post forest fire action plan steering committee was set up. The committee worked in close cooperation with Akuo’s Réunion subsidiary to initiate a prevention approach. This approach centered on young people, who play a key role in increasing awareness of the risk to the island’s inhabitants and relaying the information to their friends and families.
A Happy Families game
Following several studies carried out among local inhabitants and field surveys, the Akuo Foundation created, with the steering committee, a Happy Families game including a quiz. This tool helps people acquire insights into fires, both in a domestic situation and outside, in a fun way. The aim of the game is not only to encourage the prevention of accidents, but also to promote responsible behavior before, during and after a fire. The board game was distributed to all the island’s third graders.
15 000
children received the game
9
players (public bodies, publishers, associations) were directly involved in designing the game