Fire management in Mediterranean-climate shrublands: a case study from the Cape fynbos, South Africa

Abstract

The authors used a spatial data base of fires within 10 protected areas covering >720 000 ha to examine the frequency, seasonality, size and cause of fires over four decades. Their study covered five fire climate zones and a range of mountain fynbos shrubland types. They examined whether regular prescribed burning would be necessary to rejuvenate the vegetation, and also to reduce the incidence and extent of wildfires. Cumulative fire frequency distributions indicated that the probability of fire was not strongly affected by post-fire age, with 50%of the area experiencing a successive fire within 10–13 years after the previous fire in most areas. This suggests that the accumulation of fuel did not limit the occurrence of wildfires, and that regular prescribed burning would not necessarily reduce the risk of wildfires.