A 5-day professional conference on the protection of National Parks and the more effective prevention and management of fires on their territory began today in Balatonöszöd with the participation of eight countries and the expert and financial backing of the United States.

Details on the training conference, which is linked to International Earth Day and involves forty experts from Hungary and twenty each from Slovenia, Romania, Croatia, Slovakia, Bosnia, Serbia and Bulgaria, were provided on Friday at a press conference in Budapest by the Ministry for Rural Development's Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Zoltán Illés, US Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis and György Bakondi, head of the National Directorate General for Disaster Management (NDGDM).

Zoltán Illés said that climate change takes on many forms and special attention must also be placed on heat, because not just the number of open-air fires has increased in recent years, but also the speed at which fires spread and their intensity.

In addition to various methods for putting out and containing fires, the complex training also deals with the technical equipment required by firefighters and issues related to rescue operations, logistics management and fire investigation, with great emphasis placed on the practical realisation of operative cooperation.

According to the Minister of State, the Ministry contributed 8 million forints to the organisation of the conference, while in addition to delegating extremely experienced instructors, the American Embassy is financing the trainers' travel expenses and fees.

In addition to stressing the importance of preserving the Earth and natural values, US Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis also spoke about the fact that the complex relationship between Hungary and the United States is also present at a regional level, and she feels that it is especially significant that the meeting on the protection of forests and national parks is linked to Earth Day.

Lt-Gen. György Bakondi informed the press that 45,730 fires had been registered in Hungary last year of which 21,580 were open-air fires and 68 percent of these occurred in spring after the melting of snow. He added that 54,370 hectares of land had been burned in 2012, including several forests and conservation areas. The largest fire occurred in Bugac in Bács-Kiskun County, during which 1100 hectares of forest fell victim to the fire, including the priceless and protected prime juniper forest. It took six days to put out the expansive fire, at an expense of HUF 100 million.

The Director-General also stated that last year there were 120 fires that crossed the country's borders and required joint rescue operations and management with the fire services of neighbouring countries.

The head of the NDGDM also mentioned that Hungarian disaster management forces often cooperated with both the American Embassy and the country in various fields such as in the case of critical infrastructure.

At the start of the press conference, the participants took a minute of silence to remember the victims, including firefighters, of the recent industrial explosion in Texas.

(MTI, Press Office of the Ministry of Rural Development)