Kathmandu, June 2 -- With forests covering 43% of the country's territory, Nepal's dry season from February to June sees multiple wildfire emergencies that consume human lives, destroy ecosystems, displace wildlife, and wipe out homes and crops.

To be sure, not all wildfires are to be feared. They are a regular natural phenomenon on every continent of the world except Antarctica. They can even help regenerate ecosystems.

What we see today, however, is more humans living closer to forests than in the past and increasing the chance that a fire might break out through negligence, accidents and land clearance.

There is also more potential fuel on forest floors - dead wood and undergrowth, caused by more protracted and frequent heatwaves a...