Shlisky, A., J. Waugh, P. Gonzalez, M. Gonzalez, M. Manta,
H. Santoso, E. Alvarado, A. Ainuddin Nuruddin, D.A.
Rodríguez-Trejo, R. Swaty, D. Schmidt, M. Kaufmann, R. Myers,
A. Alencar, F. Kearns, D. Johnson, J. Smith, D. Zollner and W.
Fulks.
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Executive Summary It is widely understood that—as a result of human actions—fire is behaving differently today than
at any other time in human history. Fire plays a vital role in maintaining many ecosystems and the
communities that depend on them. In order to develop effective conservation strategies, we have
to understand the relationships between fire, people and the environment.
Only 25% of the terrestrial world assessed exhibits intact fire regimes. Ecoregions with degraded
and very degraded fire regimes cover 53% and 8% of the globe, respectively. More than half (53%)
of the earth’s ecoregions are fire-dependent, while 22% are fire-sensitive and 15% fire-independent
(the remaining 10% have not been assessed). There is a strong link between the degradation of
fire regimes and the loss of biodiversity.
The top causes of altered fire regimes globally are urban development; livestock farming, ranching and agriculture; fire
use and fire suppression; resource extraction (including energy production, mining and logging); and climate change.
These threats can be addressed by adopting a framework called Integrated Fire Management. The first step of Integrated
Fire Management includes identifying potential environmental, social and economic benefits and consequences of fire.
This information helps communities decide how, when and where fire will occur on the land.
Specific recommendations for community-based practitioners, country governments and multi-lateral institutions include: 1. Evaluate whether the effects of fire will be detrimental, beneficial or benign; 2. Weigh the relative benefits and risks of fire and human actions; and 3. Implement appropriate policies, increase fire management capacity, educate citizens about the role of fire, and learn and
adapt along the way
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