A multisectoral team of 26 FIRE-ADAPT members from 12 European and Latin American countries have published the review article “Integrated fire management as an adaptation and mitigation strategy to altered fire regimes” in the open-access journal Communications Earth & Environment. The article discusses how combining fire prevention, response, and recovery can address the challenges posed by changing fire regimes due to climate change. It proposes a holistic approach to fire management that integrates ecological, socio-economic, and cultural factors to benefit both people and nature.
“A key issue is distinguishing between fire and wildfire. A lot of people perceive that when someone uses fire, the intensity and smoke production makes it equivalent to a wildfire – but here is where Integrated Fire Management (IFM) – by using three sources of knowledge: technical, scientific and traditional (not only planned burns but also other fire uses such as for cooking) – minimises wildfire risk and the negative impacts associated with wildfires.”, points out Imma Oliveras Menor, leading author and Scientific Coordinator of FIRE-ADAPT.
Altered fire regimes, increasingly exacerbated by climate change, pose unprecedented challenges to ecosystems and human populations globally. The shift in fire weather, frequency, intensity, and seasonality of wildfires is projected to increase burned areas by 9-14% by 2030 and 20-33% by 2050 (Popescu et al., 2022), even under the lowest emissions scenario. These changes necessitate a more informed and holistic approach to fire management such as IFM. This approach combines all phases of the fire management cycle while considering the role of fire in ecosystems and its socioeconomic and cultural dimensions to develop fire-adapted landscapes and communities.
“We come from decades of policies and approaches that have only invested in emergency and reactive responses to wildfires. In the face of the rapid changes in climate and wildfire regimes, we need flexible and adaptative management approaches centred around preparedness and prevention, rather than only response. IFM can provide a more holistic approach that starts with an assessment and planning phase with short-, mid- and long-term objectives. It also includes developing adequate legal and governance frameworks to implement IFM at different spatial and temporal scales.”, explains Oliveras.
The authors employed a comprehensive review methodology to evaluate current fire management practices and assess the implementation of IFM across different regions globally. They synthesised existing literature, case studies, and expert insights to propose five core objectives and a detailed roadmap for advancing IFM. They offer a global and nuanced perspective that goes beyond traditional suppression-centric models.
Regarding the case studies, Oliveras comments on Brazil as an example of shifting towards implementing IFM successfully: “I feel immensely proud of how this country has gone from a very negative perception of fire to approving a federal law on IFM in 2024 (see the law here). That doesn’t mean it is now OK to burn in the Amazon. The law gives the platform to develop strategies to manage fire where it is needed (e.g. savannas and open habitats), to prevent wildfires where fire is not desired (e.g. the fire-vulnerable Amazonian rainforests) and to use it for traditional purposes empowering traditional and Indigenous stewardship.”
The paper proposes five core objectives for advancing IFM: enhancing landscape resilience, promoting local livelihoods and knowledge, ecological conservation and restoration, mitigating wildfire risk, and carbon emission abatement. These objectives focus on creating resilient landscapes that can adapt to climate change, integrating traditional fire practices to protect biodiversity, managing fuel loads to reduce wildfire severity, and employing fire management strategies to stabilise carbon storage, thus providing multifaceted benefits to ecosystems and communities.
Furthermore, the article proposes a comprehensive roadmap for countries to implement IFM at national or regional scales. This includes conducting risk assessments, developing policies and legal frameworks, capacity building, addressing risks, promoting local livelihoods and knowledge, ecological conservation, mitigating wildfire risk, carbon emission abatement, and establishing monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
The findings contribute significantly to advancing fire management, shaping future research, and informing professional practices, thereby benefiting both ecosystems and human communities globally. The authors highlight the need for ongoing research, adaptation, and collaboration for successful IFM implementation, and invite readers to find out the contributions of FIRE-ADAPT in this sense through its website, social media and newsletter.
“Thanks to FIRE-ADAPT we have created a knowledge-exchange network that has helped identify the knowledge and action gaps in different countries and realities to advance in an effective IFM implementation.”, adds Oliveras.