An integrated framework for habitat restoration in fire-prone areas: part 1 – co-creation of land management scenarios
P. Maia A * , S. Corticeiro
B , R. Vaz C , P. M. Fernandes D E , S. Valente E , J. Keizer F , S. C. Pereira C and D. Carvalho C
A
B
C
D
E
F
Abstract
Recent policy instruments for integrated landscape management in Portugal provide an opportunity to develop strategies that optimise the implementation of global policies at a local scale.
The main objective was to create and define a thorough framework that combines restoration of natural habitats and fire hazard management, to contribute to landscape resilience to fire under climate change.
Ecological modelling was the basis to propose restoration of natural habitats in the area. A participatory approach was developed for the co-creation of alternative land management scenarios, described through Northern Forest Fire Laboratory (NFFL) fuel model maps expressing modified forest cover types.
The proposed framework, applied to integrate stakeholders’ perceived challenges and opportunities in the land management scenarios, resulted in a decrease in fuel load in forest areas, compared with simulated restoration of native habitats only, without subsequent management.
The management of forest structure achieved through forest cover type modification suggests a reduction in wildfire propagation potential, progressively more noticeable with the cumulative management of new and pre-existing forests.
The framework can be used as part of a decision-support tool for forest management and may be implemented in other places where habitat conservation and fire hazard are management concerns.
Keywords: alternative landscape scenarios, fire propagation, fuel models, habitat restoration, land management strategies, multifunctional forest, multipurpose framework, participatory approach.
References
Almeida F (2022) The contribution of local agents and citizens to sustainable development: the Portuguese experience. Sustainability 14(19), 12696.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Andrade C, Bugalho L (2023) Multi-indices diagnosis of the conditions that led to the two 2017 major wildfires in Portugal. Fire 6(2), 56.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Benali A, Sá ACL, Pinho J, Fernandes PM, Pereira JMC (2021) Understanding the impact of different landscape-level fuel management strategies on wildfire hazard in central Portugal. Forests 12(5), 522.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Borges JG, Marques S, Garcia-Gonzalo J, Rahman AU, Bushenkov V, Sottomayor M, Carvalho PO, Nordström E-M (2017) A multiple criteria approach for negotiating ecosystem services supply targets and forest owners’ programs. Forest Science 63(1), 49-61.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Brown RT, Agee JK, Franklin JF (2004) Forest restoration and fire: principles in the context of place. Conservation Biology 18(4), 903-912.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Castro J, de Figueiredo T, Fonseca F, Castro JP, Nobre S, Pires LC (2010) Montesinho Natural Park: general description and natural values. In ‘Natural heritage from east to west: case studies from 6 EU countries’. (Eds N Evelpidou, T Figueiredo, F Mauro, V Tecim, A Vassilopoulos) pp. 119–132. (Springer: Berlin, Heidelberg) 10.1007/978-3-642-01577-9_15
Colantoni A, Egidi G, Quaranta G, D’Alessandro R, Vinci S, Turco R, Salvati L (2020) Sustainable land management, wildfire risk and the role of grazing in Mediterranean urban-rural interfaces: a regional approach from Greece. Land 9(1), 21.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
DGT (2019) Carta de Uso e Ocupação do Solo (COS) 2018. https://www.dgterritorio.gov.pt/Carta-de-Uso-e-Ocupacao-do-Solo-para-2018 (Accessed on July 2023)
Diário da RFepública. Decreto-Lei n.º 82/2021. 1.ª SERIE, Nº 199, de 2021-10-13, Pág. 2 - 47. (REGIONAL LEGISLATIVE DECREE No. 82/2021/A, of 2021-10-13.) https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/analise-juridica/decreto-lei/82-2021-172745163
Dupuy J-L, Fargeon H, Martin-StPaul N, Pimont F, Ruffault J, Guijarro M, Hernando C, Madrigal J, Fernandes P (2020) Climate change impact on future wildfire danger and activity in southern Europe: a review. Annals of Forest Science 77(2), 35.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
European Commission (2021) Natura 2000: The European network of protected areas. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/natura-2000_en
European Commission (2021) New EU Forest Strategy for 2030. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Available at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:0d918e07-e610-11eb-a1a5-01aa75ed71a1.0001.02/DOC_1&format=PDF
Fernandes PM (2009) Combining forest structure data and fuel modelling to classify fire hazard in Portugal. Annals of Forest Science 66(4), 415.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Fernandes PM (2013a) Fire-smart management of forest landscapes in the Mediterranean basin under global change. Landscape and Urban Planning 110(1)), 175-182.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Fernandes PM (2013b) Forest fuel management for fire mitigation under climate change. In ‘Forest management of Mediterranean forests under the new context of climate change: building alternatives for the coming future’. (Ed. ME Lucas-Borja) pp. 31–41. Available at https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84895242889&partnerID=40&md5=fadd2b9ecab84ccf20ca39c5702c3d90
Fernandes P, Loureiro C (2022) Modelos de combustível florestal para Portugal – Documento de referência, versão de 2021. UTAD, Vila Real. Available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357812218_Modelos_de_combustivel_florestal_para_Portugal_-_Documento_de_referencia_versao_de_2021
Fick SE, Hijmans RJ (2017) WorldClim 2: new 1-km spatial resolution climate surfaces for global land areas. International Journal of Climatology 37(12), 4302-4315.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Foresta M, Carranza ML, Garfì V, Di Febbraro M, Marchetti M, Loy A (2016) A systematic conservation planning approach to fire risk management in Natura 2000 sites. Journal of Environmental Management 181, 574-581.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |
Girona-García A, Cretella C, Fernández C, Robichaud PR, Vieira DCS, Keizer JJ (2023) How much does it cost to mitigate soil erosion after wildfires? Journal of Environmental Management 334, 117478.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |
Gonçalves C, Honrado JP, Cerejeira J, Sousa R, Fernandes PM, Vaz AS, Alves M, Araújo M, Carvalho-Santos C, Fonseca A, Fraga H, Gonçalves JF, Lomba A, Pinto E, Vicente JR, Santos JA (2022) On the development of a regional climate change adaptation plan: integrating model-assisted projections and stakeholders’ perceptions. Science of The Total Environment 805, 150320.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |
Häusler M, Nunes JP, Silva JMN, Keizer JJ, Warneke T, Pereira JMC (2019) A promising new approach to estimate drought indices for fire danger assessment using remotely sensed data. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 274, 195-209.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
IPCC (2022) IPCC, 2022: Climate Change 2022: impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. In ‘Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’. (Eds B Pörtner, HO, DC Roberts, M Tignor, ES Poloczanska, K Mintenbeck, A Alegría, M Craig, S Langsdorf, S Löschke, V Möller, A Okem, Rama) (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge) 10.1017/9781009325844
Kottek M, Grieser J, Beck C, Rudolf B, Rubel F (2006) World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated. Meteorologische Zeitschrift 15(3), 259-263.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
López-Rodríguez MD, Castro AJ, Castro H, Jorreto S, Cabello J (2015) Science–policy interface for addressing environmental problems in arid Spain. Environmental Science & Policy 50, 1-14.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Loureiro NS, Fernandes MJ (2021) Long-term changes in cork oak and holm oak patches connectivity. The Algarve, Portugal, a Mediterranean landscape case study. Environments 8(12), 131.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
McBride MF, Lambert KF, Huff ES, Theoharides KA, Field P, Thompson JR (2017) Increasing the effectiveness of participatory scenario development through codesign. Ecology and Society 22(3), 16.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
McCaw WL, Gould JS, Cheney NP (2008) Existing fire behaviour models under-predict the rate of spread of summer fires in open jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest. Australian Forestry 71(1), 16-26.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Navalho I, Alegria C, Quinta-Nova L, Fernandez P (2017) Integrated planning for landscape diversity enhancement, fire hazard mitigation and forest production regulation: a case study in central Portugal. Land Use Policy 61, 398-412.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Oliveira S, Gonçalves A, Benali A, Sá A, Zêzere JL, Pereira JM (2020) Assessing risk and prioritizing safety interventions in human settlements affected by large wildfires. Forests 11(8), 859.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
O’Neill BC, Tebaldi C, van Vuuren DP, Eyring V, Friedlingstein P, Hurtt G, Knutti R, Kriegler E, Lamarque J-F, Lowe J, Meehl GA, Moss R, Riahi K, Sanderson BM (2016) The Scenario Model Intercomparison Project (ScenarioMIP) for CMIP6. Geoscientific Model Development 9(9), 3461-3482.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Otero I, Castellnou M, González I, Arilla E, Castell L, Castellví J, Sánchez F, Nielsen JØ (2018) Democratizing wildfire strategies. Do you realize what it means? Insights from a participatory process in the Montseny region (Catalonia, Spain). PLoS One 13(10), e0204806.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |
Parente J, Girona-García A, Lopes AR, Keizer JJ, Vieira DCS (2022) Prediction, validation, and uncertainties of a nation-wide post-fire soil erosion risk assessment in Portugal. Scientific Reports 12(1), 2945.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |
Phillips SJ, Dudík M, Schapire RE (2017) A brief tutorial on Maxent. https://biodiversityinformatics.amnh.org/open_source/maxent/Maxent_tutorial2017.pdf (Accessed on December 2023)
Plieninger T, Rolo V, Moreno G (2010) Large-scale patterns of Quercus ilex, Quercus suber, and Quercus pyrenaica regeneration in central-western Spain. Ecosystems 13(5), 644-660.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Riahi K, van Vuuren DP, Kriegler E, Edmonds J, O’Neill BC, Fujimori S, Bauer N, Calvin K, Dellink R, Fricko O, Lutz W, Popp A, Cuaresma JC, KC S, Leimbach M, Jiang L, Kram T, Rao S, Emmerling J, et al. (2017) The Shared Socioeconomic Pathways and their energy, land use, and greenhouse gas emissions implications: an overview. Global Environmental Change 42, 153-168.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Santana VM, González-Pelayo O, Maia PAA, Varela TME, Valdecantos A, Ramón Vallejo V, Jacob Keizer J (2016) Effects of fire recurrence and different salvage logging techniques on carbon storage in Pinus pinaster forests from northern Portugal. European Journal of Forest Research 135(6), 1107-1117.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Schaich H, Plieninger T (2013) Land ownership drives stand structure and carbon storage of deciduous temperate forests. Forest Ecology and Management 305, 146-157.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Skulska I, Duarte I, Rego FC, Montiel-Molina C (2020) Relationships between wildfires, management modalities of community areas, and ownership types in pine forests of mainland Portugal. Small-Scale Forestry 19(2), 231-251.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Syphard AD, Keeley JE, Brennan TJ (2011) Comparing the role of fuel breaks across southern California national forests. Forest Ecology and Management 261(11), 2038-2048.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Valente S, Coelho C, Ribeiro C, Liniger H, Schwilch G, Figueiredo E, Bachmann F (2015a) How much management is enough? Stakeholder views on forest management in fire-prone areas in central Portugal. Forest Policy and Economics 53, 1-11.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Valente S, Coelho C, Ribeiro C, Marsh G (2015b) Sustainable forest management in Portugal: transition from global policies to local participatory strategies. International Forestry Review 17, 368.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Wilson N, Cary GJ, Gibbons P (2018) Relationships between mature trees and fire fuel hazard in Australian forest. International Journal of Wildland Fire 27(5), 353-362.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Wulf M (2003) Forest policy in the EU and its influence on the plant diversity of woodlands. Journal of Environmental Management 67(1), 15-25.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |
Wunder S, Calkin DE, Charlton V, Feder S, Martínez de Arano I, Moore P, Rodríguez y Silva F, Tacconi L, Vega-García C (2021) Resilient landscapes to prevent catastrophic forest fires: socioeconomic insights towards a new paradigm. Forest Policy and Economics 128, 102458.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
Zhang Y, Lim S, Sharples JJ (2017) Effects of climate on the size of wildfires in the Eucalyptus camaldulensis forests and the dry lands of the Riverina Bioregion, Australia. Forest Ecology and Management 401, 330-340.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |
