Operational Plan for Combating Rural Fires on the Island of Madeira

Fire is a natural element in ecosystems around the world. It plays a crucial role in the evolution of landscapes and the maintenance of biodiversity; Madeira island has a vast forest patrimony, with 58,294 hectares subdivided between forests, herbaceous areas, and other wooded regions. One of the main risks on the island is rural fires. To combat this phenomenon, starting in 2015 (during the critical fire period), the Regional Government implementedan operational program to combat rural fires, focusing on patrolling, surveillance, and direct combat. All teams record the current status on a tablet and communicate via radio. These records are monitored daily and in real time. The layout of burned areas (greater than 1ha) are carried out in collaboration with government entities. We intend to present the results of the last 9 years. Ignition sources are divided into several categories, namely forestry—305; bush—621; authorized controlled burns—373; unauthorized controlled burns—3145; andagricultural—263. One of the lessons is that the south coast of the island has more ignition points than the north coast; however, despite a smaller number of ignitions on the north coast, the recurrence since 2018 has been constant, and the consequences that may arise are very worrying. Urban or peri-urban fires occur in situations of introduced vegetation and ecosystems that have been greatly altered by humans. Madeira’s ecosystem did not evolve with the presence of fire, so it was not part of the landscape's evolution process. Rural fires effectively entered areas of native vegetation and destroyed the original vegetation. Human intervention to control fires and suppress their spread alters the frequency and intensity of natural fires, disturbing the ecological balance. The protection and adequate management of natural areas adjacent to urban areas are essential to preserve fire ecology and fire-adapted biodiversity.