It was in Sardinia the largest fire recorded in Italy in 2021.
In the past year, according to Ispra data (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), the island was affected by 40 events (compared, for example, to about 500 in Sicily), but in a single episode, which took place at the end of July in the Montiferru-Planargia Forest complex , about 63 percent of the total area affected by the fires was hit by flames, thus resulting in the largest fire in all of Italy in terms of burnt area and involving 10 municipalities of Montiferru , causing considerable economic and social damage and damaging a cultural and environmental heritage of great landscape significance .
In our country, it appears that 40-50 per cent of the territory in which the fires occur is made up of forests: from 1 January to 31 December 2021 an area equal to 0.5% of the Italian territory (corresponding to Garda Lake), underlines Ispra. Among the tree coverings, the most affected category is that of evergreen broad-leaved trees (Mediterranean scrub) for 56%, followed by classes of deciduous broad-leaved trees (such as oaks) 25% and classes of evergreen coniferous trees, such as Mediterranean pines, 19% .
The link between climate change and fires is very complex to examine as it is not only the direct effects of prolonged drought and high temperatures to be considered, but also the effects of the climate on insects and plant diseases, which make them more vulnerable. The fires can accelerate the processes of biodiversity loss, carbon dioxide release, increased hydrogeological risk, soil erosion, dust pollution of the air and water bodies.
In 2021 Sicily was the region that recorded the largest portions of burnt areas, about 3.5% of the total regional surface; 60% of the municipalities were affected by fires (out of a total of 235). The second region is Calabria, with an area equal to 2.4%, with 240 municipalities involved. (Unioneonline / ss)
