2023-07-24 20:00:23
You see: no climate change, just wantonness. That was pretty much the general reaction of climate skeptics when the mayor of North Corfu expressed suspicion that the forest fires on his island had been started.
But the reality is more complex. Various factors almost always play a role in these types of wildfires, explains Gert-Jan Nabuurs, professor of forests at Wageningen University (WUR). “In most cases, fires are caused by human actions,” he confirms. “But the drought and high temperatures mean that a fire can develop so quickly. If the soil is a bit moister, it will go a lot less fast.”
Land use is also an important factor, emphasizes Nabuurs. “In many places in Southern Europe, you see people moving away from rural areas. Then the landscape is no longer managed, and much more combustible material builds up in an area. You saw this in Portugal, for example, at abandoned eucalyptus plantations. They then become wild, extra bushes grow and supervision disappears.”
10 million hectares
Fires are part of nature to a certain extent, says Nabuurs. Lightning strikes can also lead to wildfires. “In Canada’s vast boreal forests, it is common for 1-2 million hectares to burn each year. This year that is 10 million hectares. Then climate change is a real factor. Such large-scale fires are not directly part of the system in Southern Europe.”
What can be done about forest fires? The remedy is roughly the same as the area approach that is being set up in the Netherlands because of the nitrogen crisis. The risk of fires is reduced with good management and if attention is paid to water management. “A more diverse forest with a lot of biodiversity also helps against forest fires,” says Nabuurs.
Cultivation and tourists
People often get in the way of these measures. Through intensive cultivation that extracts the scarcely available water from nature. Or through large-scale tourism that is at odds with nature and biodiversity. “In Greece there are many relatively small islands where nature is already under pressure,” summarizes Nabuurs.
A happy accident perhaps: it is precisely that nature that can also recover in the years after a fire. “Although it is possible that local species disappear and do not return.” In that respect, he holds his heart more for, for example, the neighboring Turkish southwest coast, which was hit hard two years ago. “There, for example, you have small areas with old cedar forests that you will never get back.”
Read also:
Difficult moments in Rhodes: ‘We were just able to grab our passport’
There have been no fatalities so far in the wildfires in Rhodes, but some tourists experienced tense moments. “We just managed to grab our passports and other valuables.”
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