Forest Fires in Tropical Deciduous Forests—A Precursor to Anticipatory Adaptation Framework

Abstract

AbstractTropical deciduous forests provide habitat to a wide range of life forms and ecosystem services to mankind. Forest fires in these forests have become an environmental threat that challenges the vulnerability of ecosystems and communities in the immediate vicinity. These also contest the adaptation and resilience as they act as carbon sinks. However, at times forest fires in these Tropical deciduous forests become disastrous and such disasters are expected to increase with the predicted climate change scenarios. These uncontrolled fires often bring damage to the resources and services being provided by the forests. To curb the variety of damages due to fire, the implementation of fire management strategies and the identification of responsible factors is important for disaster risk reduction. Fire susceptibility mapping and modeling of the area provides a framework for the anticipatory adaptation and solution toward reducing the impact of forest fire disasters. The framework for susceptibility mapping guides monitoring and assessment of species richness, soil and vegetation interaction, and changes in the usage of non-timber forest products by the local communities. Though the distribution of fire susceptibility is highly dependent on the terrain conditions, the accessibility to the forest products is determined by their availability. This paradigm shift of forest dominant landscapes from the fire risk zones to community interactive landscapes would enhance the adaptation frameworks for the less studied disasters and their dynamics in the climate change scenarios.KeywordsForest fireSusceptibility mappingModelingAdaptation