Understanding Stakeholder Discourses for improved Wildfire Risk Management

• DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-egu25-9292
• Publication Date: 2025-03-14T22:04:43Z
• Authors: Xiran Dong; Anna Scolobig; JoAnne Linnerooth...; Jan Sendzimir; Alberto Fresolone; Thomas Schinko
• Keywords: Stakeholder Engagement

Wildfire risk management has gained importance as wildfires increase in their frequency and intensity, with potentially devastating impacts on communities ecosystems, contributing to climate change, biodiversity loss ultimately increasing societal vulnerability multi-hazards. As a result of historical processes influenced by socioeconomic factors, political decisions changes human-nature interactions, wildfire become more complex involving multiple stakeholders often holding competing views. Different views exist, for example, concerning the respective roles fire suppression, which employs ever sophisticated technologies, prevention land use planning, fuel treatments Nature-based Solutions. Perceptions problem potential solutions vary among different stakeholders, can conflicts impeding effective management. Thus, multifaceted stakeholder approach is needed address challenge.We conducted qualitative analysis discourses management, especially Mediterranean context. The focuses narratives how experts frame problem, interventions they propose its corresponding It mainly based data collected from two cross-sectoral workshops expert interviews, part Horizon 2020 project Firelogue (Cross-sector dialogue Risk Management). workshop participants come five relevant working groups within community, namely, civil protection, environment, infrastructure, insurance society. Reports notes workshops, well transcripts semi-structured interviews were coded manually software ‘NVivo’ identify plurality views.The dual role natural element integral ecosystems regenerative functions one hand, destructive disturbance socio-ecological systems other, further contributes complexity nexus between fire, nature people. Increased abandonment, forest protection restoration projects emerged growing support allowing forests be shaped naturally. Special attention placed Solutions context wildfires. We classified along three axiological categories Nature Futures Framework (NFF): 1) instrumental values society (Nature Society); 2) intrinsic Nature) 3) relational weaving relationships together Culture). differ each other regard whether benefits are being foremost quantified considered trade-offs, ways restore self-reinforcing self-balancing, establish reciprocal relationship seeing interconnected entities.Understanding social constructions, worldviews analyzed documented methods, help compromise robust policy space. In this way, study aims facilitate holistic understanding risks an interdisciplinary contribute improving decision-making across diverse sectors scales.