ABSTRACT
Mediterranean landscapes across Europe are facing more frequent and severe wildfires, which have profound ecological, economic and social repercussions. In northern and central Portugal, this cycle of degradation is further exacerbated by aging and declining rural communities, traditional land activities abandonment and forest management neglect.
The chapter presents a methodology that integrates an ecological-based and stakeholder-informed landscape planning strategy at both municipal and local scales. By combining broad municipal planning with local interventions, the approach aims to reduce vulnerability to wildfires through a structured landscape transforming process from current land uses into a resilient mosaic. To illustrate this approach, we study two complementary case studies in Portugal’s Centre Region: 1) a municipal-scale case integrating land management strategies, with ecological land suitability and; 2) a 75-ha property (Curvachia) showing challenges and opportunities for fire-adaptive strategies on private land.
Both examples emphasise the need to overcome the socioeconomic barriers to landscape transformation, particularly land tenure issues and persistent absenteeism. However, the Curvachia case exemplifies how a landowner’s deep connection to her land—shaped by personal values and ethical considerations—can foster a balance between economic viability and ecological integrity and the reduction of landscape vulnerability to fire.
