Tropical Fire Ecology

Abstract

Mozambique, like other southern African countries, is highly affected by wildland fires. These fires have implications for approximately 70% of Mozambique’s 17 million inhabitants that live in rural areas, many near forests that provide them with their basic needs. The intricate balance between people, fire, and the natural environment has been upset in Mozambique in recent decades due to population growth, conflict, and a breakdown in traditional management practices. The ongoing process of climate change has the potential to exacerbate this situation by altering the frequency, intensity, severity, and seasonality of fires in Mozambique. However, little research has been done on the long-term implications of climate change for the fire regimes of Mozambique, or for southern Africa in general, and the consequences of this process are therefore uncertain. Given the frequency of wildland fires in Mozambique at present and their impact on the lives and livelihoods of its rural population, a greater understanding of the likely consequences of climate change for this country’s fire regimes is needed to better understand its long-term vulnerability. The present chapter intends to contribute to this understanding by providing an overview of the state of knowledge of issues related to fire management and climate change in Mozambique. By identifying, synthesizing, and analyzing a range of existing studies and information, an initial assessment is made of the potential implications of climate change on the frequency, extent, and intensity of fires in Mozambique, and how these changes might be addressed. The chapter furthermore identifies gaps in knowledge, and thus future research fields, and highlights areas of adapted fire management approaches.