Sharjah24 – AFP: With climate change making devastating wildfires more likely, experts warn Spain and Portugal need to better manage their forests to stop vast swathes of land from being torched every year.
Close to 200,000 hectares (495,000 acres) of forest in Spain have been lost to fire so far this year, more than in any other nation in Europe, according to the European Union's satellite monitoring service EFFIS.
Portugal has lost just over 48,000 hectares to flames, the third highest amount in Europe that is only surpassed by Romania.
The spread of wildfires depends on the weather, the type of vegetation and the topography of the land, said Monica Parrilla, a forest campaign manager with Greenpeace Spain.
"Right now we have the ideal context for very intense fires," she added in a reference to the scorching temperatures, strong winds and drought conditions Spain and Portugal have faced.
And the only factor which humans have some control over is the vegetation, Parrilla added.
"When it is dry, it feeds the fire. We need to focus on this flammable vegetation," she said.
Parrilla called for brush to be cleared in woodlands either manually or through controlled burns, and for more firebreaks -- a barrier of open land intended to check a wildfire.
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