Forest Fires: International Study Identifies Key Factors for Prevention
Image: University of Kassel.Using ten landscape planning initiatives in the Mediterranean region as a basis, the team examined how these initiatives affected the risk of wildfires. The models ranged from extensive grazing with cattle, sheep, and goats (to reduce combustible biomass) to controlled burning and collaborations between agriculture, forestry, nature conservation, science, and fire departments. The result: The initiatives that proved particularly successful were those that integrated different forms of land use, actively involved various social groups, and continuously refined their measures. The researchers are therefore advocating for a shift in wildfire management from a predominantly reactive approach to fire suppression toward a long-term, preventive strategy for shaping resilient landscapes.
“Forest fires are not just a problem for the forestry sector, but the result of complex interactions between climate, land use, and societal developments. Our findings show that successful forest fire prevention combines ecological, economic, and societal goals and brings relevant stakeholders together,” explains lead author Dr. Elsa Varela of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), who coordinated the study as a Humboldt Fellow at the Chair of Socio-Ecological Interactions in Agricultural Systems at the Universities of Göttingen and Kassel. “A new landscape-based approach offers the opportunity to combine wildfire prevention with biodiversity conservation and sustainable land use. This leads to solutions that are ecologically effective and socially viable,” emphasizes Prof. Tobias Plieninger from the same department. “This requires stable partnerships, long-term funding, and shared learning processes among science, policy, and practice.”
Original publication: Varela, E. et al. Capitalizing on integrated landscape approaches for wildfire risk mitigation in the Mediterranean region. iScience (2026). DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.116741.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Tobias Plieninger
, University of Kassel.
Web: https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb11agrar/fachgebiete-einrichtungen/sozialoekologische-interaktionen-in-agrarsystemen/prof-dr-tobias-plieninger.html