About – Cross-Med Wildfire Resilience: Harnessing Nature-Based Solutions for Wildfire Risk Mitigation

Wildfires, in the Mediterranean area, are a significant environmental hazard with potentially severe impacts on ecosystems, human health & economy. They are typically driven by a combination of natural factors (hot & dry weather, abundant vegetation, strong winds) as well as of human activities (land use changes, agricultural practices & arson). Climate change exacerbates wildfire risk posing a challenge to biodiversity conservation by intensifying fire frequency and severity while altering ecosystems.
The MedFireWise addresses the escalating threat of wildfires in the Mediterranean forests by promoting prescribed burning* & silvopasture** as Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for wildfire risk management (WRFM).
The implementation in 7 regions from Spain, Tunisia, Türkiye, Lebanon, Algeria and Greece will demonstrate the effectiveness of the NbS, benefiting local communities, economies & ecosystems.

*Prescribed burning: refers to the practice of intentionally setting a fire to change the assemblage of vegetation and decaying material in a landscape. The purpose could be for forest management, ecological restoration, land clearing or wildfire fuel management.

** Silvopasture: refers to the practice of integrating trees, forage, and the grazing of domesticated animals in a mutually beneficial way. It utilizes the principles of managed grazing, and it is one of several distinct forms of agroforestry. If done correctly, silvopasture can count as Nature-based solution to climate change.