FIRE-ADAPT celebrates the publication of the paper ‘The use of fire to preserve biodiversity under novel fire regimes’ in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Led by researchers from the FIRE-ADAPT’s area of expertise ‘Biodiversity conservation’, the paper highlights that novel fire regimes, driven by climate change and human activities, threaten biodiversity. It advocates for diverse fire management practices , such as its traditional use, that integrate social and ecological factors to navigate the complexities of these new regimes.
The term ‘fire regime’ refers to the patterns, frequency, and intensity of the fires that occur in a particular ecosystem over periods of time. Understanding fire regimes is crucial in recognising how fires influence ecological processes and biodiversity. Traditionally, fire regimes have played an essential role in maintaining biodiversity. However, the alterations caused by climate change and human activities are leading to unprecedented challenges, including the emergence of wildfires with extreme and unpredictable behaviour. The authors name these fire regimes that deviate from historical patterns as ‘novel fire regimes’. To deal with them, they call for a shift towards ecological and evidence-based fire management.
The paper was developed through a collaborative process involving a diverse group of scientists with expertise in fire ecology, biodiversity, and landscape management. The methodology combined structured discussions, tackling the lack of empirical data (‘expert elicitation’), and a comprehensive review of relevant literature, ensuring a well-rounded and evidence-based approach.
To better understand this research and its implications, FIRE-ADAPT interviewed the leading authors: Roger Puig-Gironès, adjunct lecturer at the University of Girona and biodiversity researcher at the University of Barcelona, and Marina Palmero, technician at the Office of Maritime Policy and Sustainable Fisheries of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (Government of Catalonia), and previously a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Animal Biology of the University of Girona.
To what extent have humans influenced novel fire regimes?
Humans have played a significant role in the emergence of novel fire regimes, both directly and indirectly. Directly, through land-use changes such as agriculture, urbanisation, and fire suppression policies that alter the frequency and intensity of fires, as well as both intentional and accidental ignitions. Indirectly, human-driven climate change has altered temperature and precipitation patterns, resulting in drier conditions and extended fire seasons in many regions. These human activities have resulted in fire regimes that deviate from historical norms, characterised now by increased intensity and unpredictability, being outside the historical range of variability, and broader geographical impact, posing new challenges for biodiversity conservation, human communities and fire management.
What is the central current gap in fire management concerning biodiversity, and what is needed to deal with it?
The lack of integration of ecological conservation objectives into fire risk management strategies. Often, actions are focused on protecting infrastructures or reducing fuel consumption without considering the requirements of ecosystems or the role that fire can naturally play in maintaining biodiversity. Furthermore, the lack of a comprehensive understanding of fire-biodiversity relationships under changing fire regimes further exacerbates this issue.
To address this, more integrative, context-specific models are needed, alongside better monitoring, adaptive management strategies, and inclusion of local knowledge to create fire patterns that support diverse ecosystems.
What is key from ecological and evidence-based fire management for climate change adaptation?
Ecological and evidence-based fire management plays a vital role in adapting to climate change by ensuring that fire regimes are aligned with both ecosystem health and climate resilience. As climate change alters temperature and precipitation patterns, fire behaviour becomes more unpredictable, often leading to more frequent and intense wildfires. The key to adaptation lies in understanding and restoring natural fire regimes — the frequency, intensity, and seasonality of fire that historically shaped the ecosystems, helping fire-adapted species regenerate and maintain ecological processes.
However, the integration of fire management with climate change adaptation requires not only ecological considerations but also an understanding of the socioeconomic context. Fire management strategies must address the needs of human communities, particularly in areas where wildfires pose a significant risk to lives, infrastructure, and livelihoods. By defining clear biodiversity objectives, utilising tools like habitat maps and species distribution data, and incorporating traditional knowledge, management strategies can balance ecosystem health with socio-economic needs. Ongoing monitoring, adaptive management, and stakeholder engagement ensure strategies remain flexible, resilient, and responsive to changing fire dynamics.
Fire and biodiversity sound like incompatible concepts, but there are professional and traditional fire practices across the globe that indeed promote biodiversity. What example of this would you highlight and why?
One powerful example is the traditional fire practices in Northern Australia and Brazil, particularly by Indigenous communities. These communities have used controlled, low-intensity burns, known as ‘patch burning’, for thousands of years to manage the landscape in a mosaic of habitats at different recovery stages. This practice supports biodiversity by promoting diverse plant species and providing crucial habitats for fire-adapted wildlife, ensuring ecosystem resilience and diversity. Another compelling example is the traditional use of fire by farmers and pastoralists in the Pyrenees (northern Spain). Here, controlled burns have long been used to manage pastures, promote forage regeneration, and prevent shrub encroachment, meaning shrub overgrowth.
These examples underscore how, when carefully managed, fire can be an essential tool in conserving diverse ecosystems. These ancestral fire practices help maintain open habitats such as heathlands and grasslands, which host many species of conservation interest, including ground-nesting birds, pollinators, and endemic plants. In many cases, these habitats are the result of centuries of low-intensity human management and would disappear without continued disturbance like grazing or fire. Furthermore, this kind of management helps reduce fire risks to human communities.
How/Where should fire managers wanting to consider biodiversity start to transform their current approach into an ecological and evidence-based one?
(1) Setting clear and measurable objectives. (2) Drawing on ecosystem knowledge, including species distribution maps, conservation plans, and historical data, while incorporating local and Indigenous perspectives. (3) Using these insights to guide the development of fire management alternatives that are aligned with your biodiversity goals. It’s essential to evaluate the potential consequences of these strategies, considering the trade-offs involved, particularly how different fire regimes may impact species and ecosystems over various time scales. (4) Monitoring is key — tracking biodiversity outcomes before and after fires to adjust strategies as necessary. (5) Collaborating with a diverse range of stakeholders, including local communities, to integrate socio-economic and cultural values into your plans. (6) Finally, fostering an adaptive, evidence-based approach, regularly reviewing and refining your strategies to address the evolving challenges of novel fire regimes. This approach ensures a balance between effective fire management and biodiversity conservation, but the most important thing is to have the ability and willingness to learn constantly, and to listen to all involved stakeholders.