Protected areas influence fire regimes globally

Protected areas (PAs) aim to support global conservation efforts including the maintenance of fire regimes and mitigation of negative fire impacts. Analyzing data from over 20 million fires worldwide, we found that PAs, along with the various protection levels defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), significantly influenced burned area (BA) and fire regime attributes across continents and biomes in distinct ways, with varying impacts on fire size, spread, intensity, and duration. In most biomes, the proportion of BA within PAs was smaller than the proportion of PA itself, indicating that PAs were generally less impacted by wildfires. However, in tropical grasslands, tropical dry broadleaf forests and temperate conifer forests, the BA fraction inside PAs was larger. The strictest IUCN protection categories (Ia and Ib) were associated with the lowest BA, compared to National Parks (IUCN II) and other less restrictive protection categories. However, this pattern varied by biome, with mediterranean forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate grasslands and tropical coniferous forests showing increased fire proneness in the strictest IUCN categories and more intense fires. Insights from this research can guide targeted environmental policies to strengthen PA networks to maintain fire regimes. • Analyzed 20M + global fires to assess the role of protected areas (PA) in fire regimes. • Fire–PA relationships were biome-dependent, shaped by management and use. • Fire regime attributes differed significantly inside PAs compared to non-PAs. • Strict IUCN PAs are linked to lower BA globally, but fire-prone in some biomes. • Fire in strict PAs may rise from biomass buildup under reduced land management.