An area larger than Luxembourg went up in smoke in 2020 – Environment
Forest fires destroyed an area of nearly 340,000 hectares last year, 30% more than Luxembourg, according to an annual report published by the European Commission on Friday. The situation for this year is even worse.
Twenty of the 27 EU Member States were hit last year by forest fires of more than 30 hectares, which reduced 339,489 hectares to ashes, a figure slightly higher than the already record year of 2019 About 40% of the affected territories were Natura 2000 protected areas.
Fires are characterized in winter in the Danube Delta and in the Pyrenees, and in spring mainly in the Balkan region. During the summer and autumn, the countries most affected were the Mediterranean countries, in particular Spain and Portugal, which suffered the biggest fires the EU has seen in 2020. More the biggest forest fires of the year are produced outside the EU, in Ukraine, near the Chernobyl nuclear reactor under containment.
“Climate change affects the length and severity of the fire season, endangering more lives and destroying nature,” commented Virginijus Sinkevi¿ius, EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and some fishing.
The Commission has adopted a new strategy to improve the resilience of forests in Europe. “Healthy and resilient forests and lands, capable of protecting biodiversity and people, are likely to mitigate the effects of forest fires. That is why we are working, together with our partners and the national authorities, to set up forest fire prevention based on land management as a norm ”, according to the Lithuanian commissioner.
This year 2021 promises to be even worse. Half a million hectares have already been consumed, 25% of which are Natura 2000 areas. The EU has this year strengthened its capacity to help countries during the fire season, a capacity to which it has already been. widely used to fight the large fires that hit the Mediterranean region this summer.
More than nine in ten fires in the EU are man-made.
Twenty of the 27 EU Member States were hit last year by forest fires of more than 30 hectares, which reduced 339,489 hectares to ashes, a figure slightly higher than the already record year of 2019 About 40% of the affected territories were Natura 2000 protected areas. Fires are caused in winter in the Danube Delta and in the Pyrenees, and in spring mainly in the Balkan region. During the summer and autumn, the countries most affected were the Mediterranean countries, in particular Spain and Portugal, which suffered the biggest fires the EU has seen in 2020. More the biggest forest fires of the year are produced outside the EU, in Ukraine, near the Chernobyl nuclear reactor under containment. “Climate change affects the length and severity of the fire season, endangering more lives and destroying nature,” commented Virginijus Sinkevi¿ius, EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and some fishing. The Commission has adopted a new strategy to improve the resilience of forests in Europe. “Healthy and resilient forests and lands, capable of protecting biodiversity and people, are likely to mitigate the effects of forest fires. That is why we are working, together with our partners and the national authorities, to set up forest fire prevention based on land management as a standard, “according to the Lithuanian commissioner. This year 2021 is shaping up to be even worse. million hectares have already been consumed, 25% of which are Natura 2000 areas. The EU has this year increased its capacity to help countries during the fire season, a capacity which has already been widely used to fight the big fires that hit the Mediterranean region this summer.More than nine in ten fires in the EU are man-made.