Wildland-urban interface dynamics during the last 50 years in North East Sardinia

In Sardinia, forest fires showed an increase in both occurrence and number of extreme fire seasons during the last three decades. In addition, an increasing number of fires threatening the wildland-urban interface (WUI) can be observed. This study, briefly presented here, is focused on a coastal area located in North East Sardinia. In the study area, due to large tourism development occurred in the last thirty years, most of the vacation resorts were built within and surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation. It is well known Mediterranean shrubland is really prone to wildfire events. In addition, costal wildland-urban interface areas show an elevated fire risk especially in summer when the presence of tourists is highest and weather conditions are extreme. This study explores WUI dynamics and landscape change in a tourist area located in North-East Sardinia from 1954 to 2008. Characterization and mapping of WUI zones were performed using temporal steps of about 10 years. For each temporal step, WUI areas were identified, classified and mapped for the purpose of analyzing and evaluating the temporal evolution of their presence and properties. Results from this study can contribute to develop planning policies for implementing strategies aimed at preventing and reducing fire risk in coastal WUI areas.