EU-Backed Projects Turn Traditional Land Management Into a Tool Against Wildfires

European Union-supported projects in Spain and Portugal are using traditional farming, forestry and landscape management to reduce wildfire risk as Europe confronts another severe fire season and growing climate pressures.

By mid-August, almost 700,000 hectares had burned across Europe, with the EU response including the deployment of more than 700 firefighters, 200 vehicles and 38 aircraft to support Member States.

In Portugal, the LIFE MARONESA project is working to reverse the abandonment of mountain pastures, encouraging farmers to restock land with traditional Maronesa cattle that help keep vegetation under control while contributing to soil quality and carbon sequestration.

Another Portuguese initiative, LIFE ResLand, covers 963 hectares of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, developing a more fire-resilient landscape through agroforestry systems, while related work in Spain combines agricultural production with fire prevention.