Abstract

NEGER, Christoph; LEON-CRUZ, José Francisco; GALICIA SARMIENTO, Leopoldo  and  MANZO-DELGADO, Lilia de Lourdes. Spatiotemporal dynamics, causes and effects of mega-wildfires in Mexico. Madera bosques [online]. 2022, vol.28, n.2, e2822453.  Epub Apr 14, 2023. ISSN 2448-7597.  https://doi.org/10.21829/myb.2022.2822453.

The term mega-fire refers to ignitions of great extension with considerable environmental and socio-economic impacts. The present paper investigates the spatial and temporal dynamics of mega-fires and their causes and effects in Mexico over the last two decades. In this country, the mega-fire phenomenon has received little attention to date. The spatial distribution of mega-fires and the burned areas were analyzed through a geographical information system and the databases of the Global Fire Atlas and the National Forestry Commission, whereas the socio-economic impacts were identified by a review of newspaper sources. The results show that fires with an affected area of 500 to 1000 hectares are frequent almost all over the country, while events of more than 10 000 hectares are rare and concentrated mainly in the northern states. The number of mega -fires in Mexico is minimal compared to all wildfires registered nationally. However, they make up a large proportion of the burned areas, 45.8%, according to the database of the National Forestry Commission, and 58%, according to the Global Fire Atlas, for fires larger than 500 ha. The direct cause, in most cases, has an anthropogenic origin, yet an important number of mega-fires are caused naturally, especially in the north of the country. Regarding socio-economic effects, these phenomena produce a significant proportion of the costs and damages.

Keywords : forest degradation; risk management; vegetation fires; social-environmental impacts; fire management; disaster risk prevention.

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