When rural lands fall silent, wildfires rise

Yet rural resilience can break the cycle

Wildfires have dominated headlines across Europe this summer. From Athens and Lisbon to Brussels and London, media outlets have highlighted both the destruction and the urgent question of how Europe can protect its people and landscapes. This has been one of the continent’s most destructive fire seasons in decades: from Spain and Portugal to Greece, Türkiye, and Cyprus, entire regions have burned on a scale never seen before.

Scientists confirm that climate change and record-breaking heatwaves were the main drivers. Yet, as the Financial Times [1] reported, another factor has made the fires especially destructive: the rural exodus has emptied Europe’s countryside, leaving abandoned land uncared for and highly flammable.

The FUTURAL project recognises this link and works to show how stronger rural communities can be Europe’s best defence against such disasters.

Rural exodus and climate change are creating fire-prone landscapes

In recent decades, millions have left villages and farming communities in search of jobs in urban centers, and land that once sustained rural life is now turning into fuel for “mega-fires” that are almost impossible to control. The OECD warns that abandoned farmland is an increasing wildfire risk across Southern Europe [2], as fewer people means less cultivation, care, and early detection of fires.

At the same time, human-driven climate change is multiplying the danger: a study by World Weather Attribution found that the June and July 2025 wildfires in Greece, Türkiye, and Cyprus were ten times more likely due to climate change [3]. As Politico noted, the combination of extreme heat, dry vegetation, and unmanaged land makes today’s fires both more frequent and more deadly [4]. As the BBC recently reported, the cost of climate-fuelled wildfires is rising dramatically in Europe, not only in economic losses but also in human lives [5]. Reversing rural decline is therefore not just a social or economic priority – it is also a climate adaptation strategy.

Building rural resilience for fire prevention

The FUTURAL project believes that sustainable, thriving rural communities are a frontline defence against wildfire disasters. Villages where land is actively cultivated, grazed, or managed are far less vulnerable to uncontrolled fire spread.

Two FUTURAL Open Call sub-projects demonstrate this vision in practice:

• EW4Fthiotida is mobilising citizens and local organisations to take joint responsibility for the land around their villages. By promoting collective rural action, the project helps ensure that abandoned fields are not left to turn into fire hazards.
• Keep Green is developing innovative approaches to balance rural land use with environmental protection. Its work focuses on preventing land abandonment by supporting sustainable activities that maintain open, managed landscapes while safeguarding biodiversity.

These initiatives reflect FUTURAL’s wider mission: to foster rural areas that are better connected, more sustainable, and capable of improving their citizens’ well-being while safeguarding the land itself.

From Silent Lands to Safer Futures

Europe’s wildfire tragedy is a strong reminder that abandoned land equals greater climate vulnerability. By investing in rural resilience, Europe can transform unused land with dry plants into productive, sustainable, and protective landscapes. FUTURAL and its partners are committed to showing how this future can be built – with and for rural citizens.

Sources

[1] Financial Times (2025), How a rural exodus stoked Europe’s deadly wildfires, August 31, 2025
[2] OECD (2023), Taming Wildfires in the Context of Climate Change, OECD Publishing, Paris
[3] World Weather Attribution (2025), Weather conditions leading to deadly wildfires in Türkiye, Cyprus and Greece made 10 times more likely due to climate change
[4] Politico (2025), Climate change fuelled deadly summer wildfires in southeastern Europe, scientists find
[5] BBC (2025), Europe’s deadly wildfires: Counting the rising cost of climate change

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*Featured image by Joanne Francis on Unsplash