Grazing can reduce wildfire risk amid climate change

Over half of Earth’s land surface is covered with fire-prone vegetation , with grassy ecosystems—such as grasslands, savannas, woodlands, and shrublands—being the most extensive . In the context of the climate crisis, scientists worldwide are exploring adaptation measures to address the heightened f...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inScience (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 387; no. 6730; p. eadu7471
Main Authors Pillar, Valério D., Overbeck, Gerhard E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States The American Association for the Advancement of Science 10.01.2025
Subjects
Animals
Climate Change
Climatic conditions
Drought
Ecosystem
Ecosystem management
Ecosystems
Environmental risk
Grassland
Grasslands
Grazing
Heat waves
Herbivory
Humans
Indigenous plants
Pasture management
Poaceae
Risk
Smoke - adverse effects
Wildfires
Woodlands
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Over half of Earth’s land surface is covered with fire-prone vegetation , with grassy ecosystems—such as grasslands, savannas, woodlands, and shrublands—being the most extensive . In the context of the climate crisis, scientists worldwide are exploring adaptation measures to address the heightened fire risk driven by more frequent extreme climatic conditions such as droughts and heatwaves, as well as by non-native plant invasions that increased fuel loads and altered fire regimes. Although fire is intrinsic to grassy ecosystems , rising exposure to wildfire smoke harms human health and the environment. Here, we argue that grazing management in grassy ecosystems could help reduce wildfire risk and its consequences.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
content type line 23
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.adu7471