Lorraine Williamson
Every summer, Spain braces for another wildfire season. Years of rural depopulation have left huge tracts of land choked with dry grasses and scrub, perfect fuel for fast-moving flames.
But new research suggests that an old ally — the horse — may quietly hold back the next catastrophe.
A fresh look at forest management
A team from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the University of Lleida studied how free-roaming horses influence vegetation in Catalonia. Their work goes beyond firefighting to ask how landscapes can be managed year-round to prevent fires in the first place. Instead of relying solely on mechanical clearing or chemical treatments, the scientists explored whether grazing itself could provide natural protection.
Nature’s unexpected fire brigade
In mountain reserves and coastal hills, the researchers tracked three groups of horses. Przewalski’s horses wandered semi-wild through Boumort, trimming back shrubs. Pottoka ponies in El Garraf shifted from grazing grasses to browsing woody plants as the season dried out. In intensively managed plots, crossbred horses were rotated to clear thick undergrowth quickly. Dung analysis confirmed they consumed everything from dry grasses to hardy shrubs such as juniper and oak — precisely the plants that fuel summer blazes.
Why horses succeed where machines fail
Unlike sheep or goats, horse breeds can adapt their diet to the season and survive in rugged terrain with minimal intervention. This flexibility allows them to graze not just soft pasture but also coarse, fire-prone vegetation. As archaeozoologist Ariadna Nieto-Espinet notes, these animals “offer a living tool for Mediterranean forest management” with the added benefit of supporting traditional rural economies.
Human behaviour still the main spark
While grazing lowers the natural fuel load, people remain the dominant cause of Spain’s fires. Around four out of five blazes begin with human activity, from careless green-waste burning to sparks from agricultural machinery. Researchers emphasise that animal grazing is no substitute for education, enforcement, and responsible land use.
Firefighter donkeys
Restoring balance to rural Spain
The findings arrive as Spain grapples with climate change and depopulation. Encouraging controlled horse grazing could help revive forgotten landscapes, strengthen biodiversity, and reduce the cost of mechanical clearing. It also reconnects communities with traditional land practices that once kept forests open and resilient.
A quiet revolution on the horizon
Further monitoring is needed to measure long-term impact, but the early results are promising. If expanded, the steady work of grazing horses could become a cornerstone of Spain’s wildfire strategy — a natural, sustainable defence in a hotter, drier future.
Source: Agenciasinc