Although fire is arguably the most important natural disturbance in many of the Earth’s ecosystems, inevitably, conservation practitioners addressing fire issues find that they must also deal with other threats or issues that, because they affect fuels, alter fire regimes. Such factors include invasive species, forest management practices and other human land uses such as agriculture. Fire regimes are also affected by variations in climate. We cannot effectively reduce the threat that altered fire regimes pose to natural ecosystems unless we also understand and address the underlying causes of alteration. Learn more about the complex relationships between fire and invasives and fire and climate change.
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Clear cutting of forest hilltops is evident in this aerial photo taken near the Conservancy's Valdivian Coastal Reserve in Chile.
© Mark Godfrey
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The Nature Conservancy has several scientific teams called global initiatives that are improving our understanding of pervasive, high-priority threats to conservation. In addition to the Global Fire Initiative, the Conservancy presently has teams focused on invasive species, climate change and energy development.
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