Reacción a "Extreme heat and wind keep numerous fires burning on the peninsula"

The arrival of summer reignites concerns about forest fires, and this year has been particularly dramatic. For society in general, forest fires are catastrophic events that, in addition to threatening people's lives and the economy of a region, reduce biodiversity and trigger soil erosion. They lead to a loss of natural habitats and, ultimately, to the desolation of the landscape. However, while the risk and damage they cause to people and their possessions is undeniable and painful, this negative social perception of fire on the natural landscape and its biodiversity contrasts with scientific information and evidence. Many Mediterranean ecosystems are not only resistant to fire, but dependent on it, as fire has been part of their evolutionary history.

Although it may seem paradoxical, the complete eradication of forest fires in the Iberian Peninsula, something that many nature lovers would sign up for without hesitation, would trigger a biodiversity crisis. Mediterranean ecosystems have the capacity to respond and regenerate after fire. This is the ecological concept of resilience, which is not immediate.

It will take about 20 years to return to the situation before the fire. So what? Why rush? There is talk of restoring and reaching the final situation to protect biodiversity, forgetting that there are species that only live in the first few years after a fire and that they are also part of the biodiversity of these ecosystems. It's like pressing fast-forward on the radio until we get to the song we want, ignoring the rest of the songs. In science, we use the concept of pyrodiversity, which is associated with a mosaic landscape of areas of different ages since they were last burned and different associated species. Pyrodiversity generates biodiversity.

However, the severity and extent of forest fires in recent years are certainly worrying and are not typical of Mediterranean ecosystems. Firefighting experts talk about sixth-generation fires or megafires and point to climate change and human action, whether intentional or accidental, as the causes of their ignition. Rarely is fuel, its continuity and flammability mentioned. People talk about scrubland or vegetation in general, when it has been proven that not all scrubland burns in the same way. Since the mid-20th century, the natural landscape of the Iberian Peninsula (especially its western half) has been extensively forested with plantations of pine and eucalyptus, fast-growing and highly flammable tree species. These plantations are largely responsible for the severity and extent of these large fires, not only in Spain and Portugal, but throughout the Mediterranean basin. The idea that ‘fires are extinguished in winter’ by clearing and thinning forests to prevent large fires should focus on forest plantations, not natural habitats.

As a scientist, I try to understand how ecosystems work and how biodiversity is generated and maintained. I am not a manager, but I admire those who are dedicated to managing the natural environment because, in addition to ecological aspects, they must consider social aspects in their decisions. I advocate an effective forest fire protection policy that protects human lives and minimises material damage. And when the fire is extinguished, we should not think about the destruction and desolation of the natural landscape, but rather about ecological change and natural regeneration. Fire is not necessarily harmful to biodiversity. This does not mean that we should cause it, but rather that, in certain ecosystems, forest fires are not always a threat, but can represent an opportunity for conservation.