Socio-Ecological Problems of Fire in Rangelands Wrought by Global Change

Dear Colleagues,

Rangelands are widely recognized as a varied and complex set of ecosystems that occur around the world. Many of these diverse ecosystems share three characteristics: They are working landscapes that support both biodiversity and rural livelihoods; wildland fire is an influential ecosystem process; myriad aspects of global change have the potential to disrupt or alter essential ecosystem functions. As in any ecosystem, the process of a disturbance like fire can be understood as a regime through the explicit description of factors such as the frequency, type, intensity, seasonality, and spatial pattern of vegetation combustion. Substantial changes to any aspect of a fire regime have the potential to alter the ecosystem’s capacity to function as required to deliver essential ecosystem services. In this Special Issue, we highlight efforts to understand the impacts of global change on rangeland fire regimes worldwide from both social and ecological perspectives. Authors are encouraged to identify “Wicked Problems” related to wildland fire at the interface of rangeland ecosystem integrity and human well-being, and address these problems by considering how aspects of fire regimes are altered by global change and how specific elements of the fire regime can be managed to mitigate these effects. “Global change” is considered broadly and can include but is not limited to the following: environmental changes such as average or extremes in temperature, precipitation, or nutrient inputs; invasive plant or animal species, woody plant encroachment, or changes in ecosystem management, that affect the amount, type, condition, and configuration of fuelbeds; land-use changes from agriculture, forestry, or energy development that contribute to landscape alterations such as fragmentation, settlement patterns, and broad vegetation types. A combination of both original social and ecological data is not required, but the socio-ecological context must be made clear. Reviews and case studies that meet these objectives are encouraged.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Land.

Dr. Devan Allen McGranahan
Dr. Carissa L. Wonkka
Dr. Sofía Laura Gonzalez
Guest Editors

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