{"id":4522,"date":"2026-05-20T21:44:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T21:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uncertain2degrees.blogs.uni-hamburg.de\/?p=4522"},"modified":"2026-05-20T21:44:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T21:44:46","slug":"who-manages-the-forest-when-villages-disappear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uncertain2degrees.blogs.uni-hamburg.de\/?p=4522","title":{"rendered":"Who manages the forest when villages disappear?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How rural abandonment and forest management shape wildfire risk in Spain<\/h3>\n

Spain has experienced increasingly severe wildfires in recent decades, especially in Mediterranean regions such as Galicia, Arag\u00f3n and Andaluc\u00eda. Although climate change plays a major role through higher temperatures, droughts and heatwaves, researchers argue that rural abandonment and inadequate forest management are also key factors behind the growing intensity of fires.<\/p>\n

Since the mid-20th century, many rural areas in Spain have lost population because of economic decline, ageing communities and the migration of younger generations to cities. As agricultural and grazing activities disappeared, forests and shrublands expanded naturally without proper maintenance. Studies show that abandoned land accumulates large amounts of dry vegetation, creating continuous \u201cfuel\u201d that allows fires to spread faster and become more destructive.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, rural communities reduced fire risk through grazing, wood collection and small-scale agriculture. In regions such as Galicia, the disappearance of these practices transformed landscapes that were once more diverse into highly flammable forests. This demonstrates that wildfires are not only a natural disaster caused by climate change, but also the result of social and land-use changes.<\/p>\n

For this reason, the future of wildfire prevention in Spain depends on sustainable forest management. Solutions could include controlled grazing, selective clearing of vegetation, creating firebreaks, promoting mixed forests instead of monocultures, and investing in rural economies to attract or maintain population in vulnerable areas. Recent projects using goats for vegetation control in Madrid show how traditional practices can still help reduce fire risk in sustainable ways.<\/p>\n

It shows that societies can actively reshape landscapes to adapt to climate change. Instead of only reacting to fires, Spain could build more resilient ecosystems through prevention, sustainable land management and stronger rural communities. Wildfires in Spain should not be understood only as natural disasters, but as the result of interacting climatic and land-management processes.<\/p>\n

Bibliography<\/h3>\n