The multifunctionality of forests and the nature restoration regulation: planting the seeds of wildfires?

Abstract

Forest ecosystems play a crucial role in addressing the challenges of climate change, both through their contribution to mitigation and adaptation and their importance for economic development and employment in rural areas. However, wildfires have become one of the main systemic risks, exacerbated by climate change, rural abandonment, and the accumulation of unmanaged biomass. There is broad technical and scientific consensus on the need for a paradigm shift in public policies, moving from fire suppression–centred models towards integrated strategies based on active land management and the development of resilient landscapes.

This paper critically examines the recent evolution of the European and Spanish regulatory framework affecting forests, in particular the EU Forest Strategy for 2030, Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 on nature restoration, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR), and recent European Commission communications on integrated wildfire risk management. The analysis highlights tensions between instruments focused on conservation and restoration and those promoting active forest management, which may generate regulatory inconsistencies and operational dysfunctions. The paper argues for the need to integrate sustainable forest management as a structural pillar of climate, biodiversity, and land-use policies, overcoming the dichotomy between conservation and management through a systemic approach that strengthens territorial resilience and rural development.