Perils in the adaptation of fire management to a changing world

Future climate conditions point to a significant increase in wildland fire risk in many fire-prone areas, but particularly in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. Under these prospects, it is important to evaluate how well prepared fire agencies are to cope with the new conditions, what the potential damages are that future fires might cause, and what policy changes might be needed to address future fire management needs. To address these issues in FUME, we conducted a series of focus groups with stakeholders in Spain and Italy, to identify needs and gaps in sciencetechnology transfer. Additionally, the economic impact of projected fire changes was estimated for Italy. A review of EU fire-related policies found that a disconnect exist between policy, science and management. It also revealed that fire costs and damages can greatly increase and that fire policies should be revised in a manner consistent with changing conditions.