As climate change intensifies, wildfires are becoming a significant threat to African ecosystems and communities. The frequency and intensity of these fires are expected to rise, driven by both environmental changes and unsustainable activities. In recent months, wildfires have surged globally, burning through larger areas and creating more widespread impacts than ever before. These fires have been particularly devastating in regions like Africa, Southern Europe, and North America.
In 2019, the Amazon fire grabbed the world’s attention as we watched the ‘world’s lungs’ being consumed by raging fires. Shortly after, we saw news coverage of the devastating Australian and California fires. The headlines in April 2020 drew us to the intense wildfires in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine: stopping short of a mile from the defunct Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. In May 2020, there was news of wildfires in Iran, while locally, it was reported that an area South of Tsavo East National Park, in Kenya, was on fire for several hours.
A new research led by the United Nations University, Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) scientists finds that the number of humans directly exposed to wildland wildfires increased by 40% within the first two decades of the 21st century. The study published in Science reports at least 2,500 deaths and 10,500 injuries directly from wildfires in this period, and more than 1.5 million smoke-related deaths each year. Despite limited coverage in global media, Africa accounted for 85% of those exposed.
The authors note that global media headlines often highlight fires in North America, Europe, and Oceania, even though these regions account for less than 2.5% of total exposure, reflecting a lack of attention to where the risks are greatest.
“We are surprised by the disproportionate impacts of wildfires on humans in Africa. We knew that around 65% of global burned area occurs there, but their 85% share of human exposure shows a pronounced impact that deserves more attention,” said Dr.
Read also: Protecting Communities
In August 2024, wildfires reached alarming levels globally. During one week, the global burn area was 64% higher than any other recorded week since 2012. A large portion of this increase came from severe wildfires in Africa, where around 22 million hectares burned. This was particularly devastating in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where large areas of land were scorched.
Did you know? In August 2024, smoke from wildfires in North America turned the skies over the UK a vivid red and made the moon appear orange due to particles scattering the light, creating an eerie and unforgettable scene.
Africa is on fire. It has been for thousands of years. The continent contains more than 50% of the total area on Earth that is burning, on average, and there is no sign of it stopping - indeed, the migrating, hemisphere-hopping African wildfire season is steadily increasing. The fire is essentially feeding itself in a kind of feedback loop as aerosols, induced by the perpetual conflagration, interact with the climate.
Over millions of years, the dry African season has enabled fires to occur across vast grasslands, savannas and woodland areas and to profoundly change the structure and function of ecosystems. Traditional farmers have recognized this and have, for centuries, frequently burnt them to stimulate new growth and maintain their grazing potential.
Frequent, naturally occurring and human induced fires have resulted in trees on the African savannah developing thicker bark to withstand fire, and in many seeds germinating under the necessary extreme heat. Furthermore, frequent fires prevent the buildup of vast amounts of biomass as they burn only the grass and undergrowth, allowing 95% of the trees to survive.
Read also: Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority
Without fire, the open grasslands and African savanna that support an abundance of herbivores and cattle become bushes, encroached with unproductive thorn trees as we see in Namibia and other parts of Southern Africa. In these degraded, bush-encroached environments, fire is the only real tool that can be used at a large scale to remove dense vegetation and return landscapes back to grasslands.
Wildfires in the Eastern Africa region are a regular occurrence especially after the rainy season, when the environment is conducive for fire. They are a natural cycle in many ecosystems, especially the savanna, but also in the forest ecosystems. There are two fire seasons in the region, September to March in the areas north of the Equator, and April to August in the areas south of the Equator.
The fire season in South Sudan is November to March. After a good rainfall season, good vegetation development is observed (NDVI between June to October), providing abundance of biomass and consequently increased numbers of fire incidences (more than usual numbers of fires between January to February 2019 and from October 2019 to January 2020).
The number and intensity of unwanted wildland fires in South and Southern Africa has increased significantly in the past several years. The worst wildfires recorded to date swept through parts of Southern Cape in June 2017. The town of Knysna and its surrounding areas were severely affected by these devastating fires. Sadly, seven people were killed, more than 1,000 structures were destroyed, and 500 houses were damaged in this event. Wildland fires in South Africa often burn into agricultural lands, causing huge financial losses.
Africa’s green lungs - the tropical rainforests that sequester carbon, provide livelihoods for millions and are home to unique wildlife and plant ecosystems - are under unprecedented threat. Global forest loss surged to record highs in 2024, driven by a catastrophic rise in fires, according to satellite analysis from the University of Maryland’s Global Land Analysis and Discovery Lab (GLAD Lab), made available on the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Global Forest Watch platform.
Read also: Amazing Facts About Africa
Around the world, loss of tropical primary forests - forest that has not been significantly impacted by human activities like logging - reached 6.7 million hectares, or 18 football fields every minute, nearly double the loss in 2023. For the first time, fires - not agriculture - were the leading cause of global tropical primary forest loss, accounting for nearly half of all destruction, compared to 20% in recent years.
The Republic of the Congo saw levels of primary forest loss surge by 150% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Fires, sparked by unusually hot and dry conditions, caused 45% of the country’s 60,000-hectare loss.
Climate change and human activities like deforestation are causing more fires in central and west Africa’s wet, tropical forests, according to the first-ever comprehensive survey there. Fires in Africa’s wet, tropical forests have doubled in recent decades, a new Geophysical Research Letters study found.
The number of active fires there typically doubled over 18 years, particularly in the Congo Basin. The increases are primarily due to increasingly hot, dry conditions and humans’ impact on the forests, including deforestation.
Scientists have known for decades that wet forests in western and central Africa have fires, but because the fires tend to be much smaller than their counterparts in dry woodlands and savannas, relatively little research has been done on Africa’s tropical forest fires.
Most fires burn on the edges of forests, where human activity-including deforestation-is most common. Hotter and drier weather from climate change has made fire-conducive conditions more common, according to the study.
The researchers used satellite imagery to track active fires from 2003 to 2021 in western and central Africa, including the Congo Basin. The researchers found an unambiguous increase in fire frequency over time. The greatest increases were in the Northwest Congolian Lowland Forests, where there were 400 more active fires per 10,000 square kilometers (3,861 square miles) annually, in 2021 as compared to 2003. Areas with rapid forest loss, or deforestation, also saw more fire activity.
Causes of Wildfires
While fire has long been a natural part of many African landscapes, its impact depends heavily on timing, intensity, and frequency. There are a number of climatic and non-climatic factors that create a conducive environment for the start and the spread of wildfires. Direct climatic factors include temperature, humidity, winds, and indirect climatic factors such as precipitation which in turn affects the soil moisture and vegetation biomass. Non-climatic factors include topography, soil and vegetation type.
The increased frequency and intensity of wildfires can be attributed to a few key factors:
- Climate Change: Rising global temperatures are making conditions hotter and drier in many regions, increasing wildfires. Droughts have become more severe, and areas with dry vegetation-such as forests and grasslands-become more vulnerable to fire.
- Natural Causes: Natural events like lightning strikes, which ignite dry vegetation, can also trigger wildfires. This has been a common cause of fires in Africa and other regions prone to thunderstorms.
- Human Activity: Unfortunately, many wildfires are started by human activity, whether through accidents like unattended campfires or discarded cigarettes, or intentional acts of arson.
Although some fires occur by natural phenomena such as lightning strikes or volcanic eruption, the majority of fires in Eastern Africa are as a result of human activity, and mostly for agricultural purposes. These agricultural activities include, slash and burn to prepare the land for crop planting or after crop harvest, pastoral activities which include clearing land for livestock or for regeneration of pastures, as well as honey collection and charcoal burning.
These seasons coincide with the farming and harvesting times. Farmers cut down some of the vegetation and set fire to the rest in order to clear the land to plant crops. This way of clearing lands is considered the cheapest and has the advantage of killing pests and diseases while providing nutrients for future crops and rangelands. However, this technique is controversial as it can lead to deforestation, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity.
Climate change has become a key factor in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires. Research shows that changes in climate create warmer, drier conditions in many areas across the globe. Increased incidences of drought, reduced precipitation, higher temperatures and a longer fire season are boosting increases in wildfire risk. This risk also includes factors such as wind, soil moisture, and the presence of trees, shrubs, and other potential fuel (many of which have increased due to excluding fire from landscapes).
Changes in land use have altered vegetation in many areas, making landscapes more flammable. Nonetheless, the study shows that the total burned area globally has declined. “While the human exposure to fires is rising, we saw that burned land is shrinking by 26%,” said Professor Amir AghaKouchak, co-author of the study and the Water, Climate and Infrastructure Risk Lead at UNU-INWEH. “In Africa, farming has broken up large grasslands into smaller fields, which stops fires from spreading as widely but also puts more villages and farms closer to fire-prone land.
The Role of Aerosols
Aerosols are tiny particles that have a large impact on the Earth’s climate. They comprise a wide range of materials. Besides the human-induced air pollution that we can see (that brown smog is the interaction of light with aerosols), there are a lot of natural aerosols: salty sea spray, mineral dust, volcanic ash, and wildfire smoke.
Suspended in the atmosphere, the role of aerosols in our climate is complex. But a new study by Georgia Tech researchers demonstrates the role they play in the African wildfire life cycle.
“We used to think that aerosols had a short-term, localized climate impact and can be effectively removed by precipitation within a week. Several years ago, Wang’s lab developed the Region-Specific Ecosystem Feedback Fire (RESFire) Model to augment the existing, publicly accessible Community Earth System Model (CESM).
Aerosols can essentially give clouds a bad case of constipation, absorbing vapor from the atmosphere and reducing the growth of large cloud droplets, making it difficult for clouds to make large droplets. “Fire aerosols are transported from burning or dry regions to wet regions,” Wang explained.
With its shifting fire regions and prevailing winds, the positive feedback affects the current season and amplifies burning in the subsequent season. And fire weather season has increased by up to 40% in Africa over the past four decades, which means there may be shifts in distribution and variability of burned areas.
“The good news is that this mechanism is self-sustaining. It even has some resilience built in,” Wang said. “The question is what happens in the presence of persistent global climate change.
Projected higher temperatures and extended drought conditions coupled with population growth pressure, are likely to increase occurrence and intensity of wildfires in the region in the future.
Climate change therefore will affect the fire seasons in one way or another. Increased precipitation will result in increased fuel (vegetation). If this is followed by a prolonged dry season or drought conditions, combined with increasing temperatures, we expect the frequency and intensity of fires to rise, and a disturbance in the length of the fire seasons.
Impacts of Wildfires
Like any other disaster, wildfires leave insurmountable destruction in their wake. Causing the loss of biodiversity, loss of human and animal life, destruction of properties, deforestation and land degradation. The smoke plumes from these fires pose acute respiratory health risks while increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The impacts of wildfires extend far beyond the areas they burn, affecting the environment, human health, and economies:
- Environmental Destruction: Wildfires can destroy entire forests, home to countless animal and plant species. They also release huge amounts of carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change and making future wildfires even more likely.
- Air Quality and Health: Smoke from wildfires can travel great distances, polluting the air and making breathing dangerous. In August 2024, smoke from wildfires in North America travelled across the Atlantic, affecting air quality in the UK. People in the UK noticed unusually red skies and an orange-tinted moon caused by smoke particles scattering the light from the sun and moon.
- Economic Damage: The destruction of homes, businesses, and infrastructure leads to huge financial costs for affected areas. Firefighting efforts and rebuilding damaged communities are also expensive, placing a heavy burden on governments.
Responding to the Crisis
Countries are increasingly working together to combat wildfires, recognizing that no nation can handle these crises alone:
- International Cooperation: In 2024, the European Union activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to help Greece and Albania fight devastating wildfires. Countries like Italy, France, Czechia, and Sweden sent firefighting planes, helicopters, and ground teams to help contain the fires.
- Technological Advancements: New technology, such as satellite monitoring, drones, and thermal imaging, is being used to detect and track wildfires. This allows for quicker responses and more effective firefighting efforts.
- Firebreaks and Preventative Measures: In many regions, authorities are creating firebreaks-gaps in vegetation that stop the spread of fires-and educating the public on fire prevention.
To combat and mitigate the impact of Mozambique’s wildfires, we plant fire-adapted species and create firebreaks to protect vulnerable areas. We also conduct regular patrols, manage vegetation in high-risk areas, and provide local communities with information to strengthen regional fire safety. Additionally, we plan to construct watchtowers and work with communities on early alert systems to enhance fire monitoring and detection.
To protect Kenya’s vulnerable Afromontane areas, our team establishes firebreaks, conducts regular patrols, and forms fire response teams with community members and forest scouts. We collaborate closely with the Kenya Forest Service to supervise activities in vulnerable areas and raise awareness about the dangers of uncontrolled burning. Our efforts focus on preventing fires that could destroy the remaining seedbank and hinder regeneration.
Eden is committed to expanding our wildfire management efforts across Africa. Our future goals include increasing reforestation and landscape restoration projects, deepening community engagement, and enhancing fire management infrastructure. We aim to build more comprehensive early warning systems, plant additional fire-resistant tree species, and extend our work to new regions, ensuring the protection of Africa’s ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
South African policy and legislation recognises that wildfires are necessary but can be damaging, and promotes the formation of fire protection associations (partnerships between fire management authorities and land owners or lessees) to manage fires and prevent damaging wildfires.
Landowners have, in the past, been completely reliant on authorities, such as the fire brigade services (many of which are not fully functional in South Africa) during wildfire events. Many people are not aware that they are able to do many things around their homes and properties, often at little cost, to minimise the risk of wildfires damaging their assets. These simple tasks would ease the burden on fire services during wildfire events and also reduce the risk of fires spreading across properties.
Associations provide information and assistance to individuals and communities.
While fire is necessary to maintain biodiversity, ecological processes and healthy ecosystems, in many instances, it presents a clear threat to human lives and property. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that fire takes place in a cycle and in a controlled manner. This requires management plans and implementation that are carefully coordinated with all stakeholders to deliver the desired level of landscape productivity, ecosystem services, and biodiversity outcomes.
Each of these land-use types requires the right fire management methods. Moreover, the close proximity of different land-use types within emerging landscapes requires a shift from isolated fire management interventions to a coordinated approach at scale.
As suggested in the recent report on Confronting Drought in Africa’s Drylands: Opportunities for Enhancing Resilience, there is need for a harmonized framework that integrates multiple hazards including droughts, floods, and fires to build the resilience of ecosystems and livelihoods in drylands.
Investment in fire prevention, early warning systems, rapid response equipment, enforcement measures, education on fire-free preparation of agricultural land, and prescribed burns to reduce flammability are needed to combat future fires, WRI researchers Elizabeth Goldman, Sarah Carter and Michelle Sims say.
The authors stress that addressing wildfire risks requires more than tracking burned areas; it calls for strengthening resilience in the regions most exposed to fire, particularly Africa, where the majority of exposures to wildland fires occur. They point to the need for improved fire management strategies tailored to local contexts, investments in fire-resilient infrastructure, and policies that address the growing overlap of human settlements and fire-prone landscapes. By combining these measures with global efforts to curb climate change, the study concludes, societies can better protect vulnerable populations and mitigate the escalating human toll of wildland fires.
“Wildfires are no longer seasonal or regional anomalies; they have become a global crisis, intensified by rising heatwaves, worsening droughts, and drastic land use changes,” said Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of UNU-INWEH, “but instead of stepping up to confront this threat, some of the world’s biggest economies are rolling back protections, leaving vulnerable regions and communities to shoulder the heaviest burden.”
Popular articles:
tags: #Africa
