Wildfires are part of the natural disturbances that occur in the environment, although their recurrence is a complex problem that is worsening day by day in Spain with climate change: fires are becoming more intense and have unprecedented ecological and social consequences.
For this reason, Rewilding Spain has joined the ‘Declaration on the management of large forest fires in Spain’, signed so far by more than 200 organisations and individuals from all over the country. The declaration is based on data provided by science and advocates for the need to lead the debate and efforts to manage large fires from a broad consensus that provides inclusive solutions.
The final content of the declaration is the result of the debates promoted by the Pau Costa Foundation at the beginning of 2023, a process that brought together experts from different sectors of the community to establish a new common approach that would integrate different professional and social visions for effective and safe management of forest fires. Rewilding Spain’s Team Leader, Pablo Schapira, participated and provided the rewilding perspective in the ‘Forum for debate and proposals for action for the management of large forest fires in Spain’, the results of which are the basis of this statement.
The final text includes, among others, an explicit mention of the role of domestic and wild herbivores as a tool to promote landscape heterogeneity and nature conservation. It also states that “the conservation of biodiversity is a priority, and it must be ensured that it is compatible with forest fire prevention management”.