Socioeconomic Impacts and Regional Drivers of Fire Management: The Case of Portugal

Abstract

Wildfires are uncontrolled and unwanted fires that usually occur in forested/rural areas and burn forests, agricultural areas, and wildlands. Land abandonment, with the consequent growth of the rural–urban interface, increases the exposure and vulnerability of fire-prone regions around the World. In the last two decades, Europe experienced a high number of wildfires causing large burnt areas mainly concentrated in the Mediterranean Basin. This high fire incidence seems to be the result of human activities including land use/land cover changes, but also of climate variability and change. In the present study, we analyse the current situation in Portugal, which is the European country with the highest total number of wildfires and the second-highest total burnt area. The spatial and temporal variability of the wildfires within the country is very heterogeneous, due to the human and biophysical drivers. In this regard, four main aspects are considered and discussed: (1) the spatial and temporal distribution of wildfires in mainland Portugal; (2) the main human and biophysical fire drivers; (3) socioeconomic impacts; and (4) the main strategies for fire risk mapping and management. The main results indicate high spatial heterogeneity of the fire incidence, with higher fire activity in the northern region than the southern region, mainly promoted by a higher irregular topography and significantly different types of climate and land use/land cover characteristics. We highlight how fire incidence is strongly dependent on many biophysical and human factors/drivers and the direct and indirect socioeconomic impacts of wildfires. Methodologies and indexes developed by Portuguese authorities to map fire risk and assess fire danger are described. The elements discussed in this chapter result from research and lessons learned in recent years on the fire regime in Portugal and Europe. These findings can contribute to improving forest, landscape, and fire management, in Mediterranean European countries which share similar characteristics.