Indicators in the study sites

Table of Contents

1. Compilers and contributors
2. Introduction
3. Climate indicators
4. Water indicators
5. Soil indicators
6. Vegetation indicators
7. Water runoff indicators
8. Forest fires indicators
   1. Fire frequency
   2. Fire risk
   3. Burned area
9. Agriculture indicators
10. Cultivation indicators
11. Animal husbandry indicators
12. Land management indicators
13. Land use indicators
14. Water use indicators
15. Tourism indicators
16. Human characteristics indicators
17. Institutional indicators
18. Conclusions
19. References

Forest fires indicators

One of the most important land degradation factors in Mediterranean climatic conditions is forest fires. In the last decades fires have become frequent in pine dominated forests and in scrublands. The majority of fires have been attributed to the people's carelessness. The majority of fires occur in areas with high xerothermic indices and moisture deficits. Soil dryness and wind speed are the principal factors of fire evolution. As it has been recognized by the UNCCD, dry sub-humid to semi-arid regions are especially prone to large wildfires. In contrast, drier areas do not support adequate vegetation, restricting fires propagation and spread. Human activities in densely populated areas are an important cause of fire ignition. In the last fifty years there has been a socio-economic transformation in Mediterranean Europe from rural to urban. As a consequence there has been a reduction of grazing animals, firewood exploitation, and land abandonment resulting in a dramatic increase in the availability of vegetation fuel. Furthermore, afforestation practices in many Mediterranean countries have been based on establishing coniferous and eucalyptus plantations without considering adequate forest management in the plantations once has been established. All these transformations have led to an increase of fire-prone ecosystems in the various landscapes.

Fire directly affects vegetation, soil, and the less mobile fauna. Burned ecosystems lack partially or totally vegetation covers for a period ranging from months to years. During this period, the soil is exposed to wind and water erosion followed by flooding of lowland and siltation of water reservoirs. Land plant cover is modified changing rainfall interception, rate of evapotranspiration and rainfall infiltration. Furthermore, forest fires greatly contribute to climate change by increasing greenhouse gasses. The following indicators have been considered in the DESIRE project related to forest fires: (a) fire frequency, (b) fire risk, and (c) burned area.

Table 6. Number of field sites in which the indicators related to forest fires was recorded in the filled questionnaires