Global wildfire activity has oscillated for millions of years in response to cycles of climate change and human uses of fire. However, the earth’s systems are now in a state of rapid change, driven by the interconnected forces of climate change, land-use transformation, biodiversity loss, and human activity. .Altered fire regimes, in turn, have become both a fundamental cause and consequence of these changes. The term “Pyrocene” has even emerged to describe this new era of megafires and extreme wildfire events.

Fire plays a major role in shaping our environment and maintaining biodiversity.  The alteration of natural fire regimes is leading to profound ecological transformations, posing serious threats to biodiversity, and risking species extinction on a large scale. Wildfires are also altering essential ecological services on which humans and animals depend, such as clean air and water supply, soil stability and fertility, carbon storage, ecosystem ecology, and more.  It is estimated that 75% percent of terrestrial area on earth has experienced significant change to natural fire regime conditions.

Preparedness is critical to mitigating the impact of wildfires and enhancing the resilience of ecosystems and communities, and this pillar of the GWC is focused on the fire management and policy operations that are essential to achieve beneficial outcomes.  The most effective preparedness efforts involve an interdisciplinary set of “before”, “during” and “after” actions carried out by community members, fire personnel, policymakers, planners, developers that are informed by the scientific and Indigenous knowledge of the region in which the community resides.  This approach is known as Integrated Fire Management.

Recent studies indicate that socially vulnerable communities are disproportionately negatively affected by wildfire - both because they are more exposed to wildfire and because they are more susceptible to wildfire impacts.  More research is needed to identify which groups of people are most vulnerable where, and why, so that wildfire preparation or recovery strategies and policy interventions are equitably and effectively designed, and resources appropriately allocated.