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Wildfires and landscape dynamics in Portugal: a regional assessment and global implications

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Forest Landscapes and Global Change

Abstract

Wildfire is an important and complex factor that both shapes landscapes and is shaped by landscapes. In this chapter, we discuss some of the factors that have shaped wildfire frequency and size in Portugal from a landscape perspective and describe the expected changes that will result from a combination of the predicted future climate change and socioeconomic changes such as the abandonment of agricultural land. Some landscapes, such as shrublands, are more vulnerable to fire than others, and the frequency and size of wildfires depend in complex ways on the proximity to humans, who provide both the major source of fire ignition (humans are responsible for more than 95 % of all wildfires in Portugal) and the major agent for fire suppression. Based on the results of our analysis in Portugal, we propose some generalizations that are likely to apply to other regions around the world, such as the need to manage and coexist with fire rather than adopting a strategy based exclusively on fire suppression. This will become particularly important in the context of global climate change, which is expected to increase wildfire frequency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Ecologia Aplicada “Prof. Baeta Neves”, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal

    Francisco C. Rego & Joaquim S. Silva

  2. Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra, Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, 3040-316, Coimbra, Portugal

    Joaquim S. Silva

Authors
  1. Francisco C. Rego
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  2. Joaquim S. Silva
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Correspondence to Francisco C. Rego .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environment and Natural Re, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Bragança, Portugal

    João C. Azevedo

  2. Ontario Forest Research Institute, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, SAULT STE MARIE, Ontario, Canada

    Ajith H. Perera

  3. Department of Environment and Natural Re, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Bragança, Portugal

    M. Alice Pinto

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Rego, F.C., Silva, J.S. (2014). Wildfires and landscape dynamics in Portugal: a regional assessment and global implications. In: Azevedo, J., Perera, A., Pinto, M. (eds) Forest Landscapes and Global Change. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0953-7_3

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