Navigating trade-offs in carbon storage, biodiversity, and wildfire risk in European landscape management

Abstract

Land use and climate change are driving new dynamics for wildfires and ecosystems globally. In Europe, these drivers contribute to changes in fuel structures which affect the behavior, impact, and recurrence interval of wildfires. In response, there is interest in restoring historic fuel-relevant land management strategies and fire regimes which impact the condition and arrangement of fuels. Simultaneously, ecosystem function (e.g., carbon storage and biodiversity) is a cornerstone for European sustainability and climate adaptation policies such as the Green Deal. Thus, a nuanced approach to landscape management is needed which addresses wildfires concerns while also conserving ecosystem function. Research evaluating the interaction between wildfire and ecological function in Europe has largely been limited to local or regional assessments which can be difficult to translate to European-wide policy initiatives. Our study takes a continental perspective to map areas in which ecosystem function and wildfire may be interacting using data on recent fire activity, aboveground carbon, and biodiversity. We synthesize policy-level considerations for mindfully navigating fire and conservation goals and propose areas which may be suitable for herbivory, mechanical removal, and prescribed burn to manage fuels. Our results highlight several countries, especially in eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, with both high ecosystem function and high fire activity which must be carefully managed to avoid intense and destructive fires in areas of high ecosystem function. Conversely, we identify areas with high fire activity and low carbon storage or biodiversity which may be good candidates for more intensive fuel management with fewer negative ecological consequences. As Europe continues to look to its landscapes to provide a wide range of services, policymakers will need to carefully consider services provided by landscapes to safeguard environmental objectives while managing the deleterious consequences of wildfires.