Editorial for the Special Issue: Nature-Based Solutions to Extreme Wildfires
Extreme wildfires are becoming increasingly frequent and severe across many regions worldwide, driven by climate change, land-use transitions, and long-standing fire-suppression legacies. In this context, Nature-based Solutions (NbS)—defined as actions that work with ecological processes to address societal challenges while providing biodiversity and socio-economic benefits—offer a promising yet underdeveloped pathway for enhancing wildfire resilience. This Special Issue brings together eleven contributions spanning empirical ecology, landscape configuration, simulation modelling, spatial optimisation, ecosystem service analysis, governance assessment, and community-based innovation. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that restoring ecological fire regimes, promoting multifunctional landscapes, and integrating advanced decision support tools can substantially reduce wildfire hazard while sustaining ecosystem functions. They also reveal significant governance barriers, including fragmented policies, limited investment in prevention, and challenges in incorporating social demands into territorial planning. By synthesising these insights, this editorial identifies several strategic priorities for advancing NbS in fire-prone landscapes: mainstreaming prevention within governance frameworks, strengthening the science–practice interface, investing in long-term socio-ecological monitoring, managing trade-offs transparently, and empowering local communities. Together, the findings highlight that effective NbS emerge from the alignment of ecological, technological, institutional, and social dimensions, offering a coherent pathway toward more resilient, biodiverse, and fire-adaptive landscapes.
Authors
- Adrián Regos
Institutions
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (ES)
- Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (ES)
- Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiológicas de Galicia (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Fire
- Published
- 2026-01-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/fire9010047
- Primary Topic
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00