Estratégias para aumentar a resiliência ao fogo florestal: caso de estudo da freguesia de Alferce, Monchique

The master's thesis in Landscape Architecture, entitled "Strategies to increase resilience to forest fires in the parish of Alferce, Monchique" addresses the growing threat of forest fires in Portugal, with a focus on this region. Fires are considered to be natural 
occurrences in regions with a Mediterranean climate, associated with the propensity of the ecosystems present for this phenomenon. However, their intensification due to rural abandonment, population ageing and climate change is generating significant concerns. Its main objective is to develop a strategic proposal to increase the resilience of rural settlements to forest fires, providing a better quality of life for residents in the village of Alferce. 
The dissertation was developed as part of the "BRIDGE Project", a collaboration between the University of the Algarve, the Instituto Superior Técnico and the National Civil Engineering Laboratory, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology. The 
research covered several stages, starting with a detailed bibliographical survey to analyse fire mitigation strategies. In addition, a physiographic characterisation of the Alferce territory was carried out, identifying relevant geographical and topographical factors. To understand the perspectives of the local population, surveys were conducted in two stages: a pre-test with 15 participants to refine the approach, followed by a comprehensive survey with 52 participants. An analysis of the construction materials of 50 houses in Alferce was also carried out to understand the level of vulnerability of the buildings. 
Based on this information, two intervention proposals were drawn up, the first on a territorial scale, organising an area around the village of Alferce and identifying the best land uses to reduce the vulnerability of the rural agglomeration, the second on a housing scale, identifying the most fire-resilient building materials and intervention actions in their surroundings that could increase the survival rate of the house in a possible fire episode, contributing to fire mitigation and the resilience of the village.