Application of the Socio-Ecological System Framework to Forest Fire Risk Management: A Systematic Literature Review

Ingrid Vigna, Angelo Besana, Elena Comino and Alessandro Pezzoli
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Ingrid Vigna: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico di Torino & Università di Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
Angelo Besana: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico di Torino & Università di Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
Elena Comino: Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering (DIATI), Politecnico di Torino, 10128 Torino, Italy
Alessandro Pezzoli: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST), Politecnico di Torino & Università di Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Although increasing concern about climate change has raised awareness of the fundamental role of forest ecosystems, forests are threatened by human-induced impacts worldwide. Among them, wildfire risk is clearly the result of the interaction between human activities, ecological domains, and climate. However, a clear understanding of these interactions is still needed both at the global and local levels. Numerous studies have proven the validity of the socioecological system (SES) approach in addressing this kind of interdisciplinary issue. Therefore, a systematic review of the existing literature on the application of SES frameworks to forest ecosystems is carried out, with a specific focus on wildfire risk management. The results demonstrate the existence of different methodological approaches that can be grouped into seven main categories, which range from qualitative analysis to quantitative spatially explicit investigations. The strengths and limitations of the approaches are discussed, with a specific reference to the geographical setting of the works. The research suggests the importance of local community involvement and local knowledge consideration in wildfire risk management. This review provides a starting point for future research on forest SES and a supporting tool for the development of a sustainable wildfire risk adaptation and mitigation strategy.

Keywords: socio-ecological system; wildfire risk; spatial system modelling; participatory modelling; traditional knowledge; agent-based model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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