Active for just over a decade, the Spanish Pau Costa Foundation has already made a global impact. With an exceptional team, its tireless work focuses on a tangible goal: prevention. For experts, preventing forest fires is both absolutely essential and entirely possible—if addressed with the seriousness it demands.
The devastating spectacle of forest fires has become sadly familiar across the globe: tongues of flame surging uncontrollably through towering columns of smoke, ferocious fires consuming everything in their path. These infernal scenes capture the world’s attention, leaving us stunned, as some of the planet’s most valuable natural ecosystems vanish suddenly and without mercy.
“Fires show no forgiveness—they destroy ecosystems, severely damage a region’s flora and fauna, and have a brutal impact on the entire environment,” explains Oriol Vilalta, a man who knows what he’s talking about and has chosen to act. As a firefighter and founder of the now internationally recognized NGO Fundación Pau Costa, he adds: “People not only have to cope with enormous economic losses but, tragically, in many cases both firefighters and residents lose their lives trapped in the flames. And even when that isn’t the case, the emotional toll is significant. Those who live near forests learn to love them and to recognize many of the species that inhabit them. The forest becomes part of their lives—familiar to everyone. So when it disappears under the flames, for nearby communities it feels like losing a part of themselves,” says the seasoned firefighter and wildfire expert.
“In the context of climate change, conditions are becoming ideal for the onset of these kinds of events,” notes Juan Caamaño, collaborator and environmental conservation specialist at the Pau Costa Foundation. “Lack of rainfall is the common denominator in many parts of the world, and this becomes the perfect variable for fires to ignite and spread with lightning speed. When that happens, containing them quickly and successfully becomes extremely difficult. That’s why, from the very beginning, this foundation has focused its efforts on prevention—on stopping these disasters before they start.”
A Multidimensional, Relentless Mission
Donations are the key—the driving force behind every one of the Pau Costa Foundation’s initiatives. In just a short decade, this irreplaceable NGO has brought together more than 3,000 specialists from at least 40 countries, inviting them to take part in training sessions and experience-sharing forums.
In addition, the foundation’s open community training programs have received an overwhelmingly positive response. Thousands of parents and their children have enthusiastically attended its educational workshops. “If we can prevent even a single irresponsible act from happening, that’s everything,” explains Oriol Vilalta.
But the Pau Costa Foundation is not a resource-generating enterprise. All its actions are deeply connected to the generosity of a society that increasingly understands how every donation can make a difference. The foundation’s current goal is to ensure that donation flows become more stable—an essential step for properly planning its programs and activities.
These efforts are built on knowledge that must be absorbed by society through ongoing educational initiatives that gain strength and momentum over time. The urgency is undeniable: data show that around 95% of forest fires originate from human irresponsibility—a factor that is further exacerbated by climate change and rural depopulation, which increase the frequency, intensity, and scale of these fires.
For this reason, at the renowned Pau Costa Foundation, giving up is not an option. With renewed hope and determination, its team continues advancing toward a single goal: changing the way society understands, prevents, and responds to the growing threat of forest fires.
