Impact of the intense Vegetation Fire in 2004 on the Landscape of the Sierra de Aználcollar

Aside from grazing and erosion, fire can be seen as major factors for soil degradation in Mediterranean soil systems. In South of Europe, every year about 500000 fires are burning over a Surface of 700 000 and 1 000 000 ha of mountainous region with the respective consequences of loss of the vegetation cover, increasing erosion and alteration of the hydrogeomorphology. 

In 2004, the “Sierra de Aznalcóllar” close to Sevilla, has suffered a very intense fire which destroyed approximately 25 000 ha of forest https://elpais.com/diario/2004/07/30/espana/1091138415_850215.html). After the fire, clean-up and restauration of the area was initiated by the CONSEJERÍA DE MEDIO AMBIENTE of the JUNTA DE ANDALUCÍA  which included not only the concept of environmental restauration or future fire protection but also an embedding of those measures into the economic needs of the local population.Goal of this excursion is to visit fire-affected sites and to evaluate both environmental and economical long-term effects of such a disaster. Post-fire efforts by the Consejería de Medio Ambiente of the Junta de Andalucía will be explained and discussed in-situ.