Forest fires are a major socioeconomic and environmental threat across many countries. There is increasing recognition of the need to develop integrated fire management approaches that emphasise the roles and perspectives of all stakeholders. Stakeholders' perspectives on this complex issue can inform research and policy development. Furthermore, stakeholders have a right to be involved in issues that affect them, and this involvement, in turn, improves the social acceptance of policies. This study conducts a participatory integrated assessment through focus groups with three stakeholder groups in Portugal, namely members of the general public (including from areas with a history of forest fires), local residents, and decision makers. Two main topics were analysed, i.e. perceived causes of forest fires as well as prevention strategies. Causes identified were mostly associated with socioeconomic factors and a lack of knowledge and awareness of the risks involved in the use of fire. Prevention strategies proposed significantly relied on government intervention and a shift in awareness and responsibility by direct actors and the population in general. A participatory integrated assessment allowed us to propose a framework of causes and prevention strategies for fire prevention, which can be included in a more bottom-up policy design that reflects the views of stakeholders.

中文翻译：

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葡萄牙森林火灾的原因和预防策略：利益相关者焦点小组的见解


森林火灾是许多国家的主要社会经济和环境威胁。人们越来越认识到需要制定强调所有利益相关者的作用和观点的综合火灾管理方法。利益相关者对这一复杂问题的看法可以为研究和政策制定提供信息。此外，利益相关者有权参与影响他们的问题，而这种参与反过来又提高了社会对政策的接受度。本研究通过焦点小组与葡萄牙的三个利益相关者群体（即公众（包括来自有森林火灾历史的地区）、当地居民和决策者）进行参与式综合评估。分析了两个主要主题，即森林火灾的原因和预防策略。查明的原因主要与社会经济因素以及缺乏对用火风险的知识和认识有关。所提出的预防战略在很大程度上依赖于政府干预以及直接行为者和一般民众的意识和责任的转变。参与式综合评估使我们能够提出一个火灾原因和预防策略的框架，该框架可以包含在反映利益相关者观点的更加自下而上的政策设计中。