Wildfire, protected areas and forest ownership: The case of China

Abstract

Protected areas (PAs), which are a major tool for conserving land cover and ecosystem services, are expected to restore natural fire regimes and allow better fire management methods. However, little is known about the relationship between protected area (PA) establishment and fire risk. Using field plots in the National Forest Inventory (NFI) of China, this study is designed to assess the association of PA establishments and fire risk. We find that PA establishments have been significantly related with the decrease of the fire occurrence probability. We also find that forest ownership is a key factor influencing fire activities within protected areas. Inside protected areas, privately or collectively owned plots have a much higher fire occurrence probability than state-owned plots. Empirical evidences shows that inadequate compensation from protects areas of China is one possible reason for the higher fire risk in collective or individual owned forests. As a solution, more financial compensation within PAs is urgently needed in China.