Changing wildfires: Policy options for a fire-literate and fire-adapted Europe

This report, prepared by a working group of the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), examines the drivers behind these changes, explores the consequences, and reviews current wildfire management practices. It advocates for an integrated EU framework for fire adaptation and assesses current policies and strategies. Moving beyond fire suppression strategies alone, the report emphasises addressing root causes and strengthening institutional capacities. It advocates for enhanced cooperation and coordination between stakeholders, increased fire literacy, and improved funding for prevention, restoration, and land-use planning.

The report also supports a unified European integrated fire management system to enable the interoperability of qualified resource sharing among member states, culminating in a set of three urgent key messages and eight policy options designed to improve today’s wildfire management and to prepare for future challenges. In the future, nearly one-fifth of Southern Europe may experience extreme fire danger as often as every 2 years. Europe must learn to coexist with fire and adapt to this evolving landscape.