BackgroundThis paper aims to present insights about the beneficial use of fire within a strategic and operational framework, providing actions for better adaptation to fire regime shifts in the face of climate change and land use changes. Supported by transdisciplinary analysis and aimed at supporting an actual regulation in the Aran (~ 600 km2 in the Spanish Pyrenees), our case study focuses on creating a management path toward landscape resilience at the social and ecological level.ResultsWe present a novel approach for fire management in Europe, where fire is no longer treated as an isolated, unpredicted, and unwanted element but where the fire regime (considering both wildfires and prescribed burns) is managed as a whole and under changing conditions. Under this approach, some unplanned ignitions represent a window of opportunity where emergency responders can turn wildfire incidents into land management goals. This way, the present framework helps to reduce uncertainty by proactively anticipating plausible future scenarios. In addition, the subjacent strategic innovation dissolves the trap linked to fully aggressive fire suppression strategies, proposing a transformative role for emergency management organizations to overcome the burden of extinction everywhere, every time.ConclusionsThis work highlights the importance of understanding fire complexity through transdisciplinary knowledge, acknowledging its historical significance for rural populations, and recognizing fire as a cultural heritage and essential ecological process that shapes the landscape. The study expects to serve as a catalyst for fire resilience in the region and inspire other mountainous areas to address similar challenges posed by global change.
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