On November 25, 2025, the DesirMED and ReADAPT projects organized a Conference at the International Center of the University of Valencia in Gandía.
The event brought together some thirty experts, including technicians from the regional and local administrations, environmental and forestry agents, gardening and service companies, and partners of the European DesirMED project such as VAERSA, Climate KIC, Tecnalia and Medi XXI.
The objective was to publicize and evaluate some of the solutions that are currently used for forest fire prevention and post-fire management, in particular those known as Nature-based Solutions (NbS), and which use natural processes and elements to address social and environmental challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss or fire prevention. Rather than relying solely on grey infrastructure (artificial systems), NbS harness ecosystem services to deliver multiple benefits.
Importance of the DesirMED pilot project in Valencia
The Valencia pilot project is a cornerstone for understanding climate adaptation strategies in Mediterranean regions through NbS. The lessons learned there can be expanded and replicated in similar landscapes. Approaching it from a global approach, DesirMED aims to foster resilience and jointly design pathways that integrate ecological, social and economic dimensions.
Evolution of the DesirMED project
DesirMED began its journey in Valencia last spring with a workshop in Jávea. The project seeks to enable systemic transformation to adapt to the impacts of climate change by leveraging scientific knowledge, regional and local governance, and territorial expertise.
Currently, it is identifying NBS to form a portfolio of actions that will serve as the basis for a roadmap for implementation in the short, medium and long term, taking into account dimensions such as governance, financing, technical complexity or citizen involvement.
Collaboration with ReADAPT
The collaboration with the European ReADAPT project offers a unique opportunity to provide decision-makers with data and information that facilitate the selection, adoption and implementation of nature-based solutions.
This collaboration between the two projects, using the Valencian case, strengthens governance and political pathways to scale up solutions across Europe.
Workshop details and solutions presented
The workshop featured several Nature-Based Solutions:
Medi XXI SGA presented its green firebreaks that use water recovered and treated from treatment plants to maintain strips of vegetation with sufficient humidity to make it difficult to combustion. These bands are located in the urban forest interface, accompanied by proper forest management and training and awareness campaigns for the population, which guarantee greater safety for people living next to forest masses.
The extensive grazing use of livestock (goats) in Vallada was another example that was announced, highlighting the problem of finding active shepherds who want to dedicate themselves to this profession and the need to look for models to pay for the services they provide, such as the maintenance of firebreak areas clear of weeds.
VAERSA presented the use of prescribed burns, for the cleaning of areas of difficult access to create areas of discontinuity that hinder the advance of the fire. The importance of carefully controlled burning under defined fuel and weather conditions was underlined, in order to meet management and ecological objectives, set out in a "Burn Plan". On the other hand, it was also explained how this exercise served to train firefighters who later face fires in real situations.
The Generalitat Valenciana explained what the strategic strategic management zones (SEZs) consisted of and the design of the firebreak areas and the importance of agroforestry mosaics, increasingly complicated by agricultural abandonment in many areas.
Finally, the City Council of Alzira shared its Local Fire Prevention Plan, illustrating the challenges posed by the management of the urban-forest interface in small municipalities.
The discussions highlighted the need to have at least one dedicated forest fire prevention manager in each municipality, as well as the importance of inter-municipal cooperation, as forest fires do not respect administrative boundaries. Understanding the local geography, culture, and ecology is critical to adapting solutions effectively. Participants highlighted the need to inform tenderers and train service providers to ensure successful solution implementation.
The Conference, which took place at the University of Valencia, featured the inaugural lecture by Professor Artemi Cerdà on soil erosion after fires and the role of science in recovery strategies. He stressed the importance of betting on basic science, and experimentation in the field and not only through mathematical models. He also opted to take into account culture, and how tradition has provided solutions such as terraces, which prevent soil erosion after forest fires.
The day concluded with a field visit to areas that suffered from forest fires in previous years, where participants examined post-fire measures and assessed their suitability based on geology, climate and soil type.
Looking to the future
The next workshop is scheduled for spring 2026, continuing the collaborative effort to design and implement solutions that improve climate resilience in Mediterranean regions.
