Spatiotemporal Fire Patterns and Post-fire Forest Change in Peru (2000-2021)
Móstiga Rodríguez, Maricel Jadith (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)
Armenteras, Dolors (Instituto de Ciencias Forestales)
Vayreda Duran, Jordi (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Retana Alumbreros, Javier (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	Fire is increasingly more frequent and severe in many tropical regions, leading to significant forest loss, diminished biodiversity, and reduced Nature's contributions to people (NCPs). In this study, we analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns of fire in Peru and its regions, focusing on: (1) burned area, (2) size, and (3) number of fires, using satellite data spanning two decades (2001-2020). Furthermore, we examined postfire changes in forest and shrubland. Our analysis revealed that 2. 1 million hectares were burned in Peru, with over 80% of this area located in the Andean and Low Rainforest regions. Distinct fire seasonality was observed. The years 2005, 2010, 2016, 2019, and 2020 witnessed extensive burns across Peru, while the Coast region experienced peak fires in 2016 and 2017. Notably, the Coast region saw an increasing trend in fire frequency, and both the Coast and Andean regions experienced growth in fire size over time. Factors such as the dry season, El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and land-use activities were found to influence these spatiotemporal patterns. Grasslands were the most burned land cover, followed by savannas and forests, although regional variations exist. Significantly, we found that nearly half or more of burned forests and shrublands underwent a transformation to different land covers within the two decades. While grasslands were the dominant postfire land cover nationally, regional variations were evident. Our findings offer a comprehensive insight into the fire dynamics and postfire cover shifts in Peru, underscoring the need for developing strong and sustainable fire management and land-use policies.
Note:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Burned area ; Burned scars ; Fire dynamics ; Land cover ; MODIS ; Tropical forest loss
Published in:	Land degradation & development, December 2025, p. 1-15, ISSN 1099-145X

DOI: 10.1002/ldr.70378

15 p, 2.8 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles