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Fire is a factor of the first order in the interpretation of current ecosystem composition and landscape shape. Wildfires are a common phenomena dating back to the Earth’s origins when they were caused by volcanic events or lightning. However, nowadays fires are more often caused by human interventions, accidental or deliberate, than by natural ones. In the European Mediterranean regions wildfires increases from 1960s aided by a general warming and drying trend, but driven primarily by socio-economic changes, including rural depopulation, land abandonment and afforestation with flammable species (Shakesby, 2011). Within that global Mediterranean region, semiarid areas have plant communities of sclerophyllous evergreen shrubs, rich in essences and with low plant water content, especially in dry seasons. These conditions facilitates the burning of these ecosystems. Wildfires can be considered as a disturbance with a relatively severe temporary impact (Cerdà & Doerr, 2005). Their severity will depend on key factors such as the intensity and frequency of fire, but also on the the ecosystem components (vegetation, soil, rainfall, etc). The burning of plant cover and litter leaves the soil unprotected against rain impact. Also, immediately following a wildfire, a layer of ash and charred material typically covers the ground. It can increase or decrease the post-fire runoff and erosion response, depending upon the soil and ash properties and the ash thickness (Bodí et al., 2011). Soil loss after wildfire increases as long as there is no a minimal recovery of both plant cover and soil properties (Mataix et al., 2007). Although some strategies, such as plant resprouting, allow them to recover quickly, high fire frequency or soils with low quality can requier restoration strategies (Cerda & Robichaud, 2009); these aspects that will be discused in this chapter.

Soil Erosion and Conservation Measures in Semiarid Ecosystems Affected by Wildfires