Andalusian agricultural organizations are pressing for immediate changes to forest-management rules, arguing that the decline of traditional farming and livestock practices is leaving the region dangerously exposed to wildfires. After the devastating Los Gallardos fire, which began in Almería on 9 July 2026 and affected Bédar and Los Gallardos, rural groups urged authorities to let farmers and ranchers carry out preventive work in public forests without unnecessary delays. The blaze burned about 7,000 hectares and prompted renewed municipal preparedness, including early-warning systems and coordinated emergency planning.
Antonio Campos, a veteran shepherd from Peal de Becerro, Jaén, describes a sector in crisis. He says the number of livestock in his area has plummeted over the past decade, with little prospect of generational renewal. Campos, who manages 750 Segureña sheep in the Sierra de Cazorla, says none of his four children plans to continue his work. The decline, he argues, weakens the rural workforce that once helped keep vegetation in check. The Los Gallardos fire also destroyed pastureland used by livestock, showing how wildfires can damage natural areas and the forage base on which rural livelihoods depend.
Jesús Cózar, secretary-general of UPA Andalucía, says farmers and ranchers are impressive to maintaining the rural field and biodiversity. He calls for the revival of local emergency plans and self-protection strategies, along with fire-prevention awareness campaigns. Cózar also highlights controlled burning of agricultural and forest residues, a practice subject to authorization in forest land and areas of forest influence. Applications for these burns must be submitted at least 30 days in advance and receive express approval from the Junta de Andalucía, a requirement that agricultural groups say can constrain preventive work.
UPA Andalucía points to the Los Gallardos fire as evidence of the need for closer cooperation between authorities and the agricultural sector. Cózar argues that effective prevention requires active land management throughout the year, not only emergency response after a blaze starts. Farmers and livestock can help reduce vegetation and maintain a patchwork field that may slow fire spread. Their presence also helps keep rural areas inhabited and productive. Fire-management specialists have likewise advocated reducing vegetation density and increasing field diversity, alongside creating mosaic landscapes and restoring traditional uses such as grazing and agricultural management.
Asaja, another major agricultural group, has submitted an urgent request to the Junta de Andalucía and the national government. It seeks legislative changes to allow preventive work without prior authorization and calls for adequate resources. Luis Carlos Valero of Asaja Jaén says the abandonment of traditional land uses and the lack of active forest management have created extensive, continuous areas of combustible vegetation. The campaign figures illustrate the scale of the challenge: Antonio Sanz, the Junta’s first vice-president and regional minister for the Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue and Administrative Simplification, reported a provisional total of 326 forest fires in Andalusia through 29 September 2026, affecting about 58,736 hectares and prompting 845 INFOCA interventions.
The problem is especially acute in protected forest areas. Jaén province, for example, has around 645,000 hectares of forest, nearly half its territory, with more than 300,000 hectares under some form of environmental protection. This makes Jaén the Spanish province with the highest percentage of protected forest land, at 72%. Asaja warns that unless authorities remove bureaucratic barriers and improve forest management, it will hold officials accountable in court for any resulting disasters.
The debate over forest management has also entered the political arena. Asaja’s proposals align with the positions of Vox, which has made forest policy a basic part of its agreement with the PP to join the Andalusian government. Vice President Manuel Gavira says political leaders must prioritize forest clearing and management, especially after heavy rains that spur rapid grass growth. He points to a government pact that promises more funding for fire prevention and a review of regulations limiting rural workers’ role in forest upkeep. Gavira downplays climate change as the basic cause of wildfires, arguing that political responsibility and practical measures matter more than ideological debate. The provisional campaign figures emphasize ignition as well as field management: Sanz said more than 94% of fires during the high-danger period had human origins, including deliberate acts and negligent or accidental ignitions, while 2.94% were attributed to natural causes.
The PSOE, meanwhile, has sharply criticized the Junta de Andalucía for what it calls inadequate maintenance and funding of rural roads, a problem worsened by recent storms. Juan Latorre, PSOE leader in Jaén and mayor of Arjona, says local mayors are increasingly concerned about deteriorating rural infrastructure, which complicates both prevention and emergency response.
This renewed focus on rural land management comes as Andalusia faces mounting wildfire risks. The Los Gallardos tragedy, in which 13 people died and thousands of hectares burned, has intensified calls for reform. For more on the political fallout and official responses to the Almería fire, see this detailed report: Andalusian vice president addresses Parliament after deadly Los Gallardos wildfire.
Andalusia’s fire-prevention debate also concerns how the rules distinguish among uses of fire. Although the seasonal prohibition on barbecues and certain other uses was lifted after 15 October 2026, restrictions on agricultural and vegetation burning remained in force during the medium-danger period, which extended through 31 October. That distinction means the end of the high-danger season did not amount to unrestricted permission for private burning in forest areas or their surroundings. In the wider debate, rural depopulation and the decline of traditional land uses are seen as factors that can allow vegetation to become denser and more continuous. Tools include grazing and managed burning, alongside mosaic landscapes that can reduce connected fuel beds. The argument is to combine prevention with field management while retaining emergency response, rather than relying on suppression alone.
