Opportunities to Increase Wildfire Risk Mitigation Through Cattle Grazing in Western Canada

The fire season of 2023 was record-breaking in Canada given the number, severity, and intensity of wildfires. Factors contributing to the number of fires are likely to get worse in the future because of the interaction and complexity of many factors such as climate change and the legacy of decades of successful wildfire suppression. Further complicating wildfire management is the ever-continuing expansion of the wildland-urban interface and subsequent increases in values at risk. Fire management solutions including prevention and suppression will require novel approaches given rising costs and logistical complications. This paper examines the payment concept for ecosystem services whereby ranchers are paid to graze cattle in targeted high-priority areas in the wildland-urban interface. Grazing can be ecologically appropriate and has long been used in fire-prone ecosystems in Europe. With some key considerations, implementing PES (Payments for Ecosystem Services) could reduce fire risk, support agricultural producers, and enhance societal protection.

2023年加拿大野火季的野火数量、严重程度与烈度均创下历史纪录。受气候变化与数十年成功野火防控所遗留的效应等多重因素的交互影响与复杂性制约，未来推动野火发生的相关因素可能会进一步恶化。令野火管理工作更为复杂棘手的是，荒野-城市交界带（wildland-urban interface）的范围持续扩张，随之而来的风险暴露价值也不断攀升。鉴于防控成本持续上涨且后勤保障日趋复杂，包括火灾预防与灭火扑救在内的野火管理解决方案亟需创新思路。本研究探讨了生态系统服务付费（Payments for Ecosystem Services，PES）模式，即通过向牧场主支付报酬，使其在荒野-城市交界带的指定高优先级区域开展肉牛放牧活动。放牧在生态层面具备合理性，且早已在欧洲的多火灾易发生态系统中得到长期应用。若辅以关键考量因素，推行生态系统服务付费计划可有效降低野火风险、扶持农业生产者，并强化社会防火防护能力。