Time for Managed Wildfire in Europe: The Pioneering Integrated Fire Management Plan of the Aran, Pyrenees

Abstract

Background Recent extreme wildfire events in countries with high investments in fire extinction indicate that strategies focusing exclusively on fire suppression are ineffective. Although upgrading analytical capacities and technological-based solutions in emergency management is needed, shifting from fire suppression to strategic fire management in a resilience context is crucial to tackling climate change impacts. The present research aims to operationalize this adaptation gap by applying a new transdisciplinary approach based on conceptualizing the environmental fire flow, a novel standard proposed to scale up integrated fire management. Under this approach, unplanned ignited fires represent a window of opportunity where emergency responders can turn wildfires into managed wildfires to, counter-intuitively, increase social and ecological resilience in the medium-long term. Results Based on landscape modeling and assisted with technical expertise, we identify the environmental fire flows in the Aran region (~600km2 in the Spanish Pyrenees) and the critical environmental factors that can be impacted. This strategic innovation accomplishes specific social demands and ecological objectives in pre-defined areas outlined in a fire management plan. Conclusions This fire management plan represents the first official policy approved in Europe including monitoring and limited or no-suppression strategies (managed wildfire options). Although the framework is designed specifically for the Aran, this transdisciplinary approach may have a broader application in the Pyrenees and other European regions sharing similar challenges and opportunities.