Greenpeace Report on Wildfires in Portugal
80 years of Data shows that the country must change
This document is a Greenpeace report analyzing the increasing wildfire risk, historical trends, management challenges, and policy recommendations for Portugal.
Increasing Wildfire Risk in Portugal
Portugal faces a rising wildfire threat driven by climate change, land abandonment, urban expansion, and landscape vulnerabilities.
- Over 80 years of data show large fires are not limited to summer months.
- Wildfire risk has increased since 1943, with annual fires rising from a few hundred to over 30,000 in the early 2000s.
- Burned area increased from a few thousand hectares before 1970 to around 100,000 hectares afterward; record year 2017 with 540 kha burned.
- Rural abandonment and urban encroachment have reduced land management and increased wildland-urban interface.
- Fatalities among civilians have surpassed those of operational firefighters since 2017.
Evolution of Wildfire Management Systems
Portugal has improved its firefighting capacity and coordination but still faces structural vulnerabilities.
- Firefighters increased from 15k (1950) to 42k (1990), then decreased to 30k; professional firefighters rose from 8k (2013) to 13.5k (2023).
- Professional firefighters now represent 41.2% of total firefighting personnel.
- Human resources increased by 45% since 2017, with better coordination, equipment, and training.
- Initial attack success rate improved from 50% (1980) to 91% (2006), then slightly declined to 85% due to severity and fewer fires.
- Portugal is better equipped but remains highly exposed to extreme wildfires and at-risk populations.
Significance of Large and Extreme Wildfires
Large fires are more frequent, faster, and harder to control, with recent years showing record-breaking events.
- Fires over 100 hectares are considered large; in Europe, over 500 hectares.
- Large wildfires are increasingly intense, with outliers in 2003, 2005, 2017, and 2025.
- The five largest fires annually have increased from an average of 0.95 kha (1980) to 9.73 kha (2025).
- Major fires in 2017, 2022, 2024, and 2025 mostly occurred in Central and North Portugal.
- The Pedrógão Grande fire (2017) caused 66 deaths, burned 30.4 kha, and was caused by electrical lines.
- The largest fire in 2025 burned 68.5 kha, with five fatalities, triggered by heat waves.
- Extreme Wildfire Events (EWEs) are characterized by erratic behavior, rapid spread, and overwhelming control efforts.
Impact of Climate and Land Use Changes
Climate change and land abandonment have intensified wildfire severity and spread.
- Portugal’s climate is influenced by Atlantic and Mediterranean, with recent tropical storms and heatwaves increasing fire risk.
- Fuel-heavy landscapes, especially unmanaged eucalyptus, pine, and shrublands, contribute to severe fires.
- Fuel continuity and land abandonment are more decisive than species alone.
- Climate change has intensified existing vulnerabilities rather than creating new risks.
- Eucalyptus plantations are controversial; they can contribute to severe fires when poorly managed.
- Landscape transformation occurs slowly, with rural depopulation and economic decline worsening vulnerabilities.
Governance and Policy Responses
Portugal’s wildfire governance has shifted from suppression-focused to more integrated, but challenges remain.
- Post-2003/2005, recognition grew that landscape and structural issues drive fires.
- After 2017, policies expanded to include rural fire management, land use, and prevention.
- Agencies like AGIF, PNGIFR, and SGIFR were created, with ongoing legislative and organizational reforms.
- Landscape transformation and climate adaptation are key challenges.
- Cross-border cooperation with Spain is increasing but faces institutional differences.
- Emphasis on community preparedness, territorial adaptation, and coexistence with fire is rising.
- Political focus remains on immediate suppression, with prevention efforts slower to implement.
- Wildfire governance depends on long-term demographic, economic, and climatic trends.
Conclusions and Future Challenges
Portugal remains highly vulnerable despite improvements; large fires are increasing, and climate change exacerbates risks.
- Over decades, Portugal has been among Europe’s most affected by wildfires.
- Large fires and burned areas have increased since 2000, with notable years in 2003, 2005, 2017, and 2025.
- Land fragmentation, rural abandonment, and climate change are key factors.
- Fire suppression has improved, but structural prevention remains insufficient.
- The pace of climate change may outpace efforts to modify landscapes and prepare communities.
- Without stronger prevention, firefighting will continue to arrive too late, risking more fatalities and damage.
- Greenpeace demands include ambitious climate action, strategic landscape management, private sector engagement, inclusive governance, rural economic revitalization, and cross-border cooperation.