Vulnerability Variables and Their Effect on Wildfires in Galicia (Spain). A Panel Data Analysis

Abstract

This paper studied the effect of the socio-economic variables related to social vulnerability on wildfire characteristics (ignitions, hectares burned, and ratio hectares burned/ignitions) in Galicia, Spain. The study recognized that wildfires present threats to people and communities, so actions might be taken to address vulnerabilities in ways that mitigate the negative impacts of such fires. Our final aim was to identify those variables that are relevant to the starting and spreading of wildfires that can help improve the prevention and mitigation of wildfires. Panel data collected over 15 years (2001–2015) for the municipalities of Galicia were used in this study. The results show that vulnerability-related socio-economic factors affect the number of wildfires and the extent of the destruction they cause. Indeed, the progressive abandonment of rural areas is one of the most important problems that increases the occurrence of wildfires. This abandonment is connected to population factors such as aging or low density of population, economic factors such as the decrease in income or low cadastral value, and territorial factors such as the decrease in rustic hectares and ranches. We conclude that prevention and mitigation focused on areas prone to wildfires could be enhanced by taking into account these variables.

An Evaluation of Wildfire Vulnerability in the Wildland–Urban Interfaces of Central Portugal Using the Analytic Network Process

“…Assigning weights to different variables for a composite index has long been a contentious topic due to the pros and cons associated with various approaches. In the literature, several methodologies have been employed to weight indicators, including econometric modelling, revealed weights [67], factor analysis, principal component analysis, multiple regression models, distance to target, the analytic hierarchy process, expert judgment, the multicriteria decision approach and endogenous weighting [69]. Of the methodologies mentioned, PCA was the predominant method used to weight critical factors [70], although the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) has proved to be well suited to solving complex decisions with multiple criteria.…”

Exploratory Spatial Analysis of Social Vulnerability and Forest Fire Risk in the Pinhal Interior Sul (Central Portugal)

“…Hazards and vulnerability are two sides of the same coin in this concept of risk, particularly in its mutual interrelationships [17,28,[35][36][37][38][39]. In more detail, a hazard is related to the probability of the occurrence of eventually dangerous processes and can be subdivided into the probability/eventuality (temporal probability) and the susceptibility (spatial probability); the vulnerability largely determines the consequences of dangerous processes [40][41][42][43], implicating people's degree of exposure and the value of their potentially affected assets/goods, as well as the community and people's capacity for confrontation, resistance, and resilience (i.e., social vulnerability).…”

“…Cernache do Bonjardim,(21) Ermida,(22) Figueiredo,(23) Cabeçudo,(24) Várzea dos Cavaleiros,(25) Nesperal, (26) Proença-a-Nova,(27) Montes da Senhora, (28) Cumeada, (29) Palhais, (30) Marmeleiro, (31) Fundada, (32) Cardigos, (33) Vila de Rei, (34) São João do Peso,(35) Peral, (36) São Pedro do Esteval, (37) Amêndoa,(38) Carvoeiro, (39) Envendos, (40) Mação, (41) Aboboreira, (42) Penhascoso, and (43) Ortiga.…”

Operational fuel model map for Atlantic landscapes using ALS and Sentinel-2 images

“…Galicia is an area representative of an Atlantic climate. It is also one of the Spanish regions that is most prone to wildfires (de Diego et al 2021). Various efforts have been made to identify and characterize the most common fuel models in Galicia; the most prominent is the fuels photoguide published by Lourizán CIF (photo-guide from now on) (Arellano et al 2017).…”