The increase of wildfires across Catalonia has forced the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) to take drastic action, with its wildfire prevention budget now doubled. The move follows a summer marked by environmental disasters such as the blaze in Paüls, Tarragona, which destroyed 3,300 hectares of forest.
President Salvador Illa has urged swift intervention, prompting the AMB to unveil a reinforced strategy under its Metropolitan Programme of Forest Management (PMAF). Over the next three years, €1.3 million will be invested to protect vulnerable woodland lying beyond the boundaries of the Collserola Natural Park. These areas, particularly the Montañas del Baix Llobregat, 12,000 hectares in total, of which 10,000 are forest, are considered some of the region’s most exposed green lungs.
The plan goes beyond firefighting. It introduces forest management measures such as firebreaks, expanded hydraulic networks and upgraded forest tracks to give emergency services faster access when flames break out. A novel element of the PMAF is its promotion of silvopasture, the controlled use of livestock to reduce undergrowth. One pilot project at Can Colomer, between Sant Climent de Llobregat and Gavà, deploys 40 goats and 15 donkeys to clear scrub naturally.
Officials argue that supporting local farmers is key to bolstering resilience, creating agricultural breaks in the landscape that interrupt the spread of fires. With more than half of AMB land classed as non-developable, the initiative represents both a defensive and a sustainable approach to land management.
By reinforcing natural and rural defences, the AMB hopes to limit the impact of climate events, from severe droughts to torrential rains. The programme is presented as a step towards safeguarding not just ecosystems but also communities increasingly threatened by the fires of a warming world.
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