Promoting Stakeholder Interaction to Facilitate Wildfire Management: Insights From a Case Study in Monreale, Sicily

Abstract

Wildfires in Southern European Mediterranean regions, exacerbated by climatic conditions and human activity, pose significant threats to ecosystems and human well-being. Current fire management policies tend to prioritize fire exclusion, neglecting traditional land use practices and socio-ecological interactions underlying the human–fire relationship. Diverging from exclusion-dominated management paradigms is challenging due to entrenched beliefs and conflicting interests across local stakeholders. Developing effective fire management and characterizing the mechanisms driving wildfire frequency and severity requires understanding the interests of stakeholder groups, the historical and institutional context these emerged in, and their interactions with land use management practices. We examine the diverse narratives shaping fire management attitudes and policy in fire-prone regions at the urban–wildland interface with a long history of land use management conflict. We focus on Monreale, Sicily, a region characterized by frequent catastrophic wildfires. Employing a participatory approach with representatives of local authorities, government agencies, and civil society, we formalize diverse stakeholder perspectives on land use and fire management, revealing the socio-economic and political dimensions that contribute to deep-rooted conflicts. We provide insights into the role of local governance, social, and institutional complexities and highlight the need for cross-stakeholder collaboration to foster resilient and sustainable fire management.