What are forests for? Social perceptions of the functions of public-managed forests following mega-fire events

Despite the growing research interest regarding the perceptions of forest-related stakeholders about forest functions and values, the views of social actors not directly involved in forestry have been largely overlooked, particularly in Southern European countries like Portugal. This article addresses this gap by analyzing the social perceptions regarding the functions of the Matas do Litoral, public-managed forests in the Centre Region of Portugal, severely impacted by the mega-fires of October 2017. Through a hierarchical cluster analysis of survey results collected from 1000 inhabitants of the adjacent parishes of the Matas, three groups were identified-"The Moderately Interested," "The Comprehensively Interested" and "The Environmentally Interested"-based on significant differences regarding their perceptions of forest functions, the future of these areas, essential factors for effective forest management, the mega-fires and their consequences. Sociodemographic characteristics-particularly age and literacy levels-forest ownership, knowledge and familiarity with these forests help to explain the differences between the three clusters.