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ATHENS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) – As Greece enters the latter part of its wildfire season, Elias Tziritis, the wildfires actions coordinator at WWF Greece, warned that the ecological impact of fires is not measured solely by the area burned.
“The ecological footprint should no longer be measured solely by how many hectares are burned,” Tziritis told Xinhua on Wednesday. “We also need to consider which areas are being burned and whether they are being affected repeatedly. In such cases, the ecological footprint is greater.”
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), 33,524 hectares had burned in Greece by September 9. Greek Minister of State Akis Skertsos said the figure was 30.1 percent below the average of the previous 20 years.
Tziritis explained that repeated fires can leave Mediterranean ecosystems with insufficient time to regenerate naturally. “When an area burns repeatedly within a very short period of time, Mediterranean vegetation does not have the opportunity to naturally regenerate,” he said. “This raises concerns about the restoration and recovery of the forest.”
He cited Porto Germeno, a seaside resort about 60 km west of Athens, as an example. Approximately 11,300 hectares burned there this summer, including about 3,500 hectares that had already burned in recent years. Repeatedly burned areas may require particular protection compared with forested areas that have not yet been affected by fire.
Tziritis also noted that wildfires have increasingly affected large mountain ecosystems in northern Greece and that similar challenges are being observed in other Mediterranean countries, including Spain. “We are seeing that wildfires are becoming increasingly intense,” he said, adding that although the absolute number of wildfires may be declining, their intensity is increasing.
A review by WWF Greece and the FLAME Fire Meteorology Group released last November found that more than 13,000 hectares in Greece had burned twice within less than 20 years.
Greece’s official wildfire prevention season runs from May 1 to October 31. With the season still underway, Tziritis said that while burned area remains an important measure, the condition of affected ecosystems and their ability to recover also need to be taken into account.
Source: Greek Herald, Xinhua, 18 September 2026.
Article and image source: www.greekherald.com
