Wildfires at a Pan-Mediterranean Scale: Human-Environment Dynamics Through MODIS Data

Abstract

Wildfires are extremely complex phenomena resulting from a wide variety of causes. They are commonly characterized through a hierarchy of physical frames and contributing factors (biomass accumulation, climatic conditions, ignition parameters, development patterns), but the human dimension is often relegated to the background. Furthermore, most technical approaches address the wildfire "problem" on both a local and global scale but ignore the intermediate regional level, which is the most appropriate for analysing terrains and conditions that favour the development of fires. In contrast, I focus here on the Mediterranean Basin as a whole, an area considered particularly "vulnerable." Studying wildfires across such an extended area entails a patchwork of geosystems that are subjected to different human pressures in the form of varying development patterns. I examined forest and other forms of wildfires that occurred in the region from 2001 to 2013 through combined MODIS derived data (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, Burned Areas and Land Cover Types). This approach, in addressing the critical need for mapping the entire area, produced new and more comprehensive insights into the basin than conventional segmented views. Statistical, time-series and hotspot analyses demonstrate that the importance of agricultural or pastoral use of prescribed fires is largely underrated. While public attention is mainly focused on "megafires," the impacts of armed conflicts and political-economic turmoil are clearly evidenced, highlighting the complexity of human-based geosystems.

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