Large-Fire Ignitions Are Higher in Protected Areas than Outside Them in West-Central Spain
Managing protected areas requires knowing what factors control fire ignitions and how likely they are compared to non-protected ones. Here, we modelled fire ignition likelihood in west-central Spain as a function of biophysical and anthropogenic variables in 172 protected areas (PA) of the Natura 20...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Fire |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/6/1/28 |
| _version_ | 1797442715305115648 |
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| author | Gonzalo Arellano-del-Verbo Itziar R. Urbieta José M. Moreno |
| author_facet | Gonzalo Arellano-del-Verbo Itziar R. Urbieta José M. Moreno |
| author_sort | Gonzalo Arellano-del-Verbo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Managing protected areas requires knowing what factors control fire ignitions and how likely they are compared to non-protected ones. Here, we modelled fire ignition likelihood in west-central Spain as a function of biophysical and anthropogenic variables in 172 protected areas (PA) of the Natura 2000 network, their buffer zones (BZ, 1500 m area surrounding PA), and non-protected areas (NP). Ignition coordinates from fire statistics (2001–2015 period) were overlaid over maps of relevant biophysical and socioeconomic variables. Models were built for four different fire sizes, small (1–5 ha), medium (5–50 ha), large (50–500 ha), and very large (≥500 ha), using Maxent software. Additionally, PA were classified based on their land use and land cover types by cluster analysis. Mean ignition probabilities were compared between PA, BZ and NP, as well as among different types of PA, by generalized linear models. Maxent models’ accuracy increased as fires were of larger size. Ignitions of small fires were associated with anthropogenic variables, while those of larger fires were more associated with biophysical ones. Ignition likelihood for the small and medium fire sizes was highest in BZ, while being the lowest in PA. Conversely, the likelihood of large and, particularly, very large fires was highest in PA. Mean ignition likelihood varied among types of PA, being highest for very large fires in PA, dominated by pine and mixed forests. Our results support the hypothesis that PAs are at the highest risk of large fire ignition, but BZ were also at high risk for the rest of the fire sizes. This largely reflects the more hazardous nature of PA landscapes. This work provides the needed tools to identify critical fire ignition areas within and nearby protected areas, which should be considered in their conservation and management plans. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:47:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-924504b097074ded863bcd57d9ecf6d0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-6255 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:47:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fire |
| spelling | doaj.art-924504b097074ded863bcd57d9ecf6d02023-11-30T22:11:44ZengMDPI AGFire2571-62552023-01-01612810.3390/fire6010028Large-Fire Ignitions Are Higher in Protected Areas than Outside Them in West-Central SpainGonzalo Arellano-del-Verbo0Itziar R. Urbieta1José M. Moreno2Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Av. Carlos III, s/n, 45071 Toledo, SpainDepartment of Environmental Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Av. Carlos III, s/n, 45071 Toledo, SpainDepartment of Environmental Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Av. Carlos III, s/n, 45071 Toledo, SpainManaging protected areas requires knowing what factors control fire ignitions and how likely they are compared to non-protected ones. Here, we modelled fire ignition likelihood in west-central Spain as a function of biophysical and anthropogenic variables in 172 protected areas (PA) of the Natura 2000 network, their buffer zones (BZ, 1500 m area surrounding PA), and non-protected areas (NP). Ignition coordinates from fire statistics (2001–2015 period) were overlaid over maps of relevant biophysical and socioeconomic variables. Models were built for four different fire sizes, small (1–5 ha), medium (5–50 ha), large (50–500 ha), and very large (≥500 ha), using Maxent software. Additionally, PA were classified based on their land use and land cover types by cluster analysis. Mean ignition probabilities were compared between PA, BZ and NP, as well as among different types of PA, by generalized linear models. Maxent models’ accuracy increased as fires were of larger size. Ignitions of small fires were associated with anthropogenic variables, while those of larger fires were more associated with biophysical ones. Ignition likelihood for the small and medium fire sizes was highest in BZ, while being the lowest in PA. Conversely, the likelihood of large and, particularly, very large fires was highest in PA. Mean ignition likelihood varied among types of PA, being highest for very large fires in PA, dominated by pine and mixed forests. Our results support the hypothesis that PAs are at the highest risk of large fire ignition, but BZ were also at high risk for the rest of the fire sizes. This largely reflects the more hazardous nature of PA landscapes. This work provides the needed tools to identify critical fire ignition areas within and nearby protected areas, which should be considered in their conservation and management plans.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/6/1/28biodiversityfire driversNatura 2000 networkpredictive modelsrisk |
| spellingShingle | Gonzalo Arellano-del-Verbo Itziar R. Urbieta José M. Moreno Large-Fire Ignitions Are Higher in Protected Areas than Outside Them in West-Central Spain Fire biodiversity fire drivers Natura 2000 network predictive models risk |
| title | Large-Fire Ignitions Are Higher in Protected Areas than Outside Them in West-Central Spain |
| title_full | Large-Fire Ignitions Are Higher in Protected Areas than Outside Them in West-Central Spain |
| title_fullStr | Large-Fire Ignitions Are Higher in Protected Areas than Outside Them in West-Central Spain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Large-Fire Ignitions Are Higher in Protected Areas than Outside Them in West-Central Spain |
| title_short | Large-Fire Ignitions Are Higher in Protected Areas than Outside Them in West-Central Spain |
| title_sort | large fire ignitions are higher in protected areas than outside them in west central spain |
| topic | biodiversity fire drivers Natura 2000 network predictive models risk |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/6/1/28 |
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