The paper examines how prescribed burning for the prevention of wildfires is being carried out in Mediterranean-type forest ecosystems, so that it may be introduced at the policy level in Greece. Three case studies are used. The first two are from California (US) and Spain where prescribed burning is already being used successfully for forest management. The third examines the 2021 prescribed burning pilot programme held on the island of Chios (Greece), which shows good potential for the use of prescribed burning in Greece as well. The paper concludes that community knowledge and engagement, research and academic institutions, and cooperation among stakeholders are key parameters for the successful implementation of prescribed burning in Greece.
This work focuses on human-cloud forest relationships utilizing the Ecuadorian Andes as a case study, discussing the evolution of human-nature relationships and emphasizing the synergy of human and natural forces in the formation and functioning of ecosystems. Special attention is given to Andean biogeography, cloud forest equilibria, and the role humans have played in influencing cloud forest biodiversity in the precolonial, colonial, and modern era of Ecuador, discussing historical and economic developments in tandem with changing cloud forest distribution and composition. By synthesizing sociopolitical, economic, ecological, and historical trends, this work presents nuanced insights into conservation design and management.
