Spain faces recurring wildfires driven by climate change

A major wildfire in Paüls reflects a broader national pattern that tests prevention efforts and rural land management.

Spain faces recurring wildfires driven by climate change

In Paüls, a wildfire last month burned 3,300 hectares, turning the night sky orange and forcing residents to confront a near disaster. The blaze endangered the village and contributed to the death of firefighter Antonio Serrano. Local officials describe a deep fear of being trapped, a fear that many residents say is unlike any other threat they have faced.

Across Spain, fires have stretched from Galicia and Castilla y León in the northwest to Catalonia, Madrid suburbs, Extremadura, and Tarifa on the south coast. Environment officials describe the current spate as a climate-driven risk that calls for stronger prevention and landscape management. Experts say the pattern mirrors the big fires of 2022 and 2023, driven by longer, hotter heatwaves and changing land use. Madrid professor Cristina Montiel notes that fires today are increasingly linked to accidents and neglect as landscapes become denser and drier. The Ramats de Foc program, which uses flocks of sheep and goats to clear undergrowth and create natural firebreaks, is expanding as a practical approach to cutting fuel and helping firefighters. Depopulation and reduced traditional uses of woodland have left large tracts of land unmanaged, creating a tinderbox ready to ignite.

The story points to a bigger challenge: prevention requires steady, long-term investment, not one-off firefighting. Budget fights and political will can shape how far a country goes in reshaping land use and rural livelihoods. The fires expose governance gaps where urgent response crowds out long-horizon planning.

At the same time, local experiments like Ramats de Foc show how communities can take responsibility for resilience. If scaled, these programs could redefine how we value pastoral work and ecological stewardship as essential climate infrastructure. The piece argues that real change will be slow and incremental, yet the risk of inaction remains high as climate pressures intensify.

Highlights

The path forward is measured, not mirage-like, with better land care at its core.