Portugal and Greece: New Environment Addressing Wildfires Causes, Damages, and Solutions in Nature and Society

Every year in Southern Europe, Portuguese and Greek forests are subject to wildfires that destroy these and the associated ecosystems. In the last decade several Summer seasons were a dramatic period in Portugal, with more than 4258 km2 and 3391 km2; burned by wildfires respectively and another 4424 km2 burned twice in Região Centro with a forest area equivalent to twice the area of Luxembourg. Sixty-six [66] dead (65 civilians and 1 volunteer firefighter from Castanheira de Pera), 254 wounded (241 civilians, 12 firefighters and 1 guard soldier). In a similar way Greece also suffered from extensive wildfires, as the one in Attica peninsula near Athens that destroyed urban environments while causing extensive casualties. This set of four interviews with Portuguese and Greek experts aim to elucidate the natural and anthropogenic causes and related wildfires consequences to the affected societies and to the environments highlighting the degradation of water resources, both surface and ground waters, besides soil destruction.