Wildfire impact in Greece goes beyond burned area

As Greece enters the latter part of its wildfire season, Elias Tziritis, wildfires actions coordinator at WWF Greece, said a growing challenge is not only how much land burns but also which areas are affected and whether they are hit repeatedly.

"The ecological footprint should no longer be measured solely by how many hectares are burned," Tziritis said on Wednesday.

"We also need to consider which areas are being burned and whether they are being affected repeatedly.

In such cases, the ecological footprint is greater." According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), about 33,524 hectares had burned in Greece by September 9.

Greek Minister of State Akis Skertsos said the figure was 30.1% below the average of the previous 20 years.

Tziritis said the figure alone could not capture the ecological impact of wildfires, adding that repeated fires can leave Mediterranean ecosystems with too little time to regenerate naturally.

"When an area burns repeatedly within a very short period of time, Mediterranean vegetation does not have the opportunity to naturally regenerate," he said.

"This raises concerns about the restoration and recovery of the forest." He pointed to Porto Germeno, a seaside resort about 60 km west of Athens, as one example.

Around 11,300 hectares were burned there this summer, including about 3,500 hectares that had already burned in recent years.

Repeatedly burned areas may require particular protection compared with forested areas that have not yet been affected by fire, said Tziritis.

The expert also said wildfires have increasingly affected large mountain ecosystems in northern Greece, adding that similar challenges are being observed in other Mediterranean countries, including Spain.

"We are seeing that wildfires are becoming increasingly intense," he said, adding that although the absolute number of wildfires may be declining, their intensity is increasing.

Previous assessments have also highlighted the impact of repeated fires.

A review by WWF Greece and the FLAME Fire Meteorology Group released last November found that more than 13,000 hectares in Greece had burned twice within less than 20 years.