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Presentation short abstract

This article explores socio-environmental conflicts in a Greek wildfires case study. It shows how official fire suppression clashes with Traditional Fire Knowledge and undermines local participation. Furthermore, it explores the marginalization of local forest labor and environmental degradation cau

Presentation long abstract

Rural Mediterranean areas often become the stage of big wildfires with severe impacts on landscapes and livelihoods. This article explores socio-environmental conflicts concerning fire and forest management through the case study of 2021 North Evia island wildfires. Using a political ecology analytical framework, it analyses how official fire suppression tactics clash with local values and Traditional Fire Knowledge of resin collectors and forest workers and undermines local participation, which used to be a vital part of older firefighting strategies. Furthermore, it examines opposition to new policies on fire prevention and climate mitigation through forest thinning, to highlight the marginalization of local forest labor by big contractors and perceptions of further environmental degradation caused by mechanical forest understory removal. Finally, it echoes calls for a radical reconsideration of fire and forest management in the Mediterranean, based on social needs, values and environmental justice.