Global change and fire regimes in Mediterranean ecosystems
Session: Fire impacts and lessons learnt
Presenters: Lluís Brotons –CTFC –CREAF –CSIC
Andrea Duane Bernedo (Biodiversity and Landscape Ecology Lab, CTFC-CREAF)
Núria Aquilué –CTFC –CREAF
Contact email: andreaduane@gmail.com
The Biodiversity and landscape ecology laboratory from the CTFC is a research group focused on understanding the impacts of global drivers of change on ecosystem functioning and biodiversity patterns. Evaluations follow a spatial approach, with an emphasis on species distribution models and landscape simulators. Fire is one of the main disturbances assessed, both by analyzing its impacts on biodiversity and by revealing the effect of landscape changes on fire regimes.
Link: www.ecoland.cat
ABSTRACT:Fire regimes are changing or are expected to do so under global change, with potentially adverse impacts on ecosystems and societies. In our research, we aim at gaining a better understanding on the processes influencing fire dynamics at large scales, to integrate them in modelling tools that help us to predict global change impacts, and eventually design strategic management plans. Our results provide new evidence on the role of fire suppression, climate, and landscape characteristics (forest surface, mosaics, etc.) in fire regimes in a Mediterranean region (Catalonia, NE Spain, ~32000 km2). Using a landscape fire-succession model (MEDFIRE), we can quantify the impact of different management practices in shaping fire regimes under a climate change context (e.g. recovering traditional agro-forest mosaics or application of prescribed burning plans). All these results reveal that global change is modifying fire regimes in Catalonia towards a critical situation, and that strategic management plans are needed to override extreme fire impacts associated with climate change. Fire management needs to shift from a ‘fire suppression’ era to a ‘fire regime management’ era.
