Networks for Integrated Wildfire Management: A Social Network Analysis Approach

Abstract

Wildfires, exacerbated by climate extremes, pose escalating global threats. Despite advancements in technology, current wildfire management policies lack specific details about integrated management and stakeholder engagement. This study provides empirical evidence on how five European wildfire management locations align with networked governance models by analyzing how their stakeholder networks are configured through social network analysis (SNA). This is measured by assessing network configuration and stakeholder group profiles. Measurements at the network level assess the size, density, diversity of sectors, scalar levels of operation, and phases. At stakeholder level, relevance is assessed by measuring in degree, eccentricity, closeness centrality, and betweenness centrality. Analysis qualitatively assesses the network profile, leading to the discussion on the primary factors influencing network configurations and the potential outcomes of these attributes