The area contains mainly forests and farmland. It is isolated and hard to reach but tourism has grown in the last decades. About 58,000 people live in Ogliastra but in the summer this figure increases ten-fold.
Investigated climate extremes
The area is affected by heatwaves, droughts and fires. Together, they have more negative impacts than each hazard alone. These compounding/cascading events threaten human lives, infrastructure, forest assets and ecosystem services, animal farms, entire villages, and tourism. In July 2019, multiple fires burned 600 ha within the urban interface, forcing about 5,000 people to evacuate. In 2021, the burned area increased by 250% compared to the 2008-2020 average in Italy. Similar features characterize many Mediterranean contexts.
Main needs
- To assist policy and decision-makers in setting out adaptation pathways that are effective in reducing the impacts and costs of fires applying science- based tools.
- To develop viable and fair strategies for integrating DRR and CCA, including early warning systems and nature-based solutions.
- To make stakeholders more aware of the risks (e.g., tourists unfamiliar with forest fires).
A Shared Pathway Towards Fire-Resilient Landscapes
In the Mediterranean region, wildfires are no longer rare seasonal events—they are an escalating threat driven by rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and changing land use. In Ogliastra, Sardinia, a region stretching between the mountains and the sea, these pressures converge with growing exposure in rural and coastal areas, especially during the summer months when the population multiplies with tourists unfamiliar with local fire risks.
Within The Human-Tech Nexus: Building a Safe Haven to Cope with Climate Extremes (The HuT), the Ogliastra Demonstrator brings together scientists, policymakers, and land users to develop a holistic approach to wildfire management. The goal is clear: to build awareness, reduce vulnerability, and co-design adaptive fire prevention strategies that reflect both science and local experience.
Through participatory workshops, researchers from CNR and CMCC engage with regional fire authorities, farmers, and civil protection services to identify barriers and enablers for effective fire management. Together, they explore new solutions—from high-resolution fire modelling and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to innovative insurance mechanisms that can support affected communities.
These activities are complemented by surveys revealing strong local concern over longer fire seasons and more intense events, with climate change, land abandonment, and reduced prevention capacity cited as key drivers.
By blending modelling tools with human insight, The HuT in Ogliastra demonstrates that lasting resilience requires collaboration. The path forward lies in shared knowledge, integrated planning, and the collective will to protect both people and landscapes from the growing threat of wildfires.
Read the full narrative at this link
