Prioritizing areas for post-fire restoration in Greece using mixed-methods spatial analysis

Area of Science:

• Ecological restoration
• Geospatial analysis
• Climate change adaptation

Background:

• Mediterranean wildfires are increasing due to climate change.
• Greece lacks a standardized system for post-fire restoration prioritization.
• Existing prioritization tools may not fully integrate socio-ecological factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and propose a flexible, scalable prioritization system for post-fire vegetation restoration in Greece.
• To integrate stakeholder perspectives with geospatial data for enhanced restoration planning.
• To identify high-priority areas requiring immediate attention for vegetation recovery.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interviews with 15 stakeholders to identify key restoration criteria.
• Multi-criteria overlay analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS).
• Integration of stakeholder-derived criteria with fire history, slope, and protected area status.

Main Results:

• Identified 77.25 km² of areas for restoration based on integrated criteria.
• Highlighted three specific locations totaling 31 km² requiring special attention.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of combining qualitative and quantitative data for prioritization.

Conclusions:

• The proposed system effectively prioritizes burned areas for vegetation restoration.
• Integrating stakeholder input enhances the socio-ecological relevance of restoration planning.
• The flexible and scalable approach supports diverse organizations in optimizing restoration efforts.