Nature-Based Solutions Framework for Wildfire Risk Reduction: Evaluating Governance Recommendations in Girona Province, Spain

Nature-based solutions (NBS) can have a significant role in wildfire management, since they effectively address key climate-induced impacts and simultaneously provide social benefits improving sustainable land management. However, the NBS framework has so far been underused in wildfire management for different reasons, such as more focus on fire suppression rather than prevention, and insufficient build-up of policy synergies among fire-related sectors. This research aims to contribute to the theme of NBS implementation in wildfire management, by drawing upon a case study in the Province of Girona, on the use of prescribed/targeted grazing practice as wildfire prevention tool. This case study advances wildfire governance research by providing an evaluation model to show up positive spillovers for the future empowering role of stakeholders affected by wildfires in decision-making. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders, structuring questionnaires according to the phases of the decision-making framework of NBS. Interview data were analyzed through NBS phases to provide evidence of (i) the prescribed grazing project’s contribution to the local governance; (ii) components that can improve the effectiveness of such a project for wildfire governance implementation over time. Results point out significant governance supported: shaping of polycentric governance from forestry to peri-urban scale; engaging stakeholders on shared values to be protected; integrating resources and local knowledge in wildfire management; establishing formal and informal agreements to reduce landscape vulnerability; disseminating information on financial resources to employ preventive measures. Such aspects have serious implications for risk prevention and sustainable planning to preserve natural resources.