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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has unveiled a new mascot to be the familiar and friendly face of FAO’s work supporting countries and communities to manage the growing threat of wildfires. Source: Timberbiz Launched following the Global Fire Management Hub Plenary at FAO headquarters, the mascot Pyra is a female tiger symbolising strength, courage and a strong protective instinct. The mascot, which was designed using AI, will be deployed by FAO to help spread the word about the best strategies for preventing wildfires and reducing the damage they can cause. The tiger’s name was chosen via a poll of the experts, practitioners, policymakers and community leaders attending the Global Fire Management Hub Plenary. FAO chose a female tiger as a symbol of strength but also a symbol of wildlife under threat and to address gender representation in fire management. Fire management has traditionally been a male-dominated field, and the new mascot also highlights the need to advance gender equality, fight discrimination in fire management, and encourage more participation by women and minorities in leadership, firefighting and policymaking roles. “We hope this mascot will serve as a symbol for strengthening global fire management efforts and might also inspire collaborative campaigns across countries and regions,” said Zhimin Wu, Director of FAO’s Forestry Division. An exhibit during the Global Fire Management Hub Plenary also showed how mascots have long been used by countries to help engage diverse audiences, raise awareness about environmental issues and provide an instantly recognizable symbol for campaigns on wildfires. In Chile, Forestín, the beaver has helped raise awareness and encourage fire prevention. In South Africa an antelope called Bokkie played that role. In Brazil, Labareda, a giant anteater, represented the damage fires can do to native species and ecosystems. In the United States, Smokey bear, with his message, “Only you can prevent wildfires”, became a wartime symbol of care, caution and community action on fire prevention. And in Indonesia, SiPongi the orangutan stood for hope and action in the face of forest fires and, as a critically endangered species, for the urgent need to protect habitats as part of conservation work. FAO has a long history of supporting countries to adopt an integrated fire management approach to establish more effective systems for preventing wildfires, preparing for and responding to them and recovering and building resilience afterwards. In 2023, it launched the Global Fire Management Hub, a platform for supporting countries to implement the approach through adapting it to their specific environments.  

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