Understanding and Assessing Local Resilience in the Occurrence of Forest Fires

Abstract

Aim: To determine the components of local resilience that permit its assessment in the occurrence of forest fires.

Methods: Theoretical methods like the historical-logical and analytical-synthetic were used, along with empirical methods, such as questionnaires to assess perceptions, and tools for descriptive and inferential statistics, like factorial analysis, network centrality studies, and compensatory fuzzy logic to determine the components of the local resilience index.

Main results: A critical analysis of the literature was performed to identify the theoreticalmethodological aspects of resilience. The study conceptualized local resilience, and set a number of indicators for assessment in the occurrence of forest fires.

Conclusions: Local resilience is a multidimensional concept that considers capacities and processes, where robustness is a basic capacity of the system, and the attribute that articulates vulnerability and resilience. Consequently, the local resilience index suggested is made of intrinsic resilience —linked to socio-environmental strength— and specific resilience. Fuzzy logic is a valuable tool to assess indicators made of diverse criteria, such as the ones that form specific resilience.