Pedro Prata, Executive Director of Rewilding Portugal, the organization behind the initiative, told Polish state news agency PAP that these large herbivores help reduce the risk of common fires by grazing on flammable vegetation and creating natural firebreaks.

He added that this allows forest areas to receive more light, which in turn leads to “the growth of grass at the expense of flammable shrubs.”

Prata explained that similar efforts have been underway for several years in Spain, involving bison brought from various parts of Europe.

However, Prata mentioned that the primary goal of bringing eight bison from Poland this summer is to reestablish the population of this species in the Beira Baixa region, near the Portuguese-Spanish border.

Although Portuguese rescue services typically view the inclusion of bison in fire prevention efforts as “a step in the right direction,” some experts argue that the effectiveness of such measures depends on several conditions.

Ricardo Ribeiro, Fire Chief and head of the Portuguese civil defense association Asprocivil, told PAP that the contribution of animal herds in fighting fires should not be overstated.

He explained that in several parts of Portugal, municipalities are already developing projects for grazing goats and sheep in areas where fire can easily spread from one forest complex to another.

However, he pointed out that these initiatives are still not widespread.

“For animal support to be effective in combating fires, it is necessary for there to be large herds grazing over extensive areas of unused agricultural land,” Ribeiro said, emphasizing that the minimum grazing area should be 10 hectares.

He added that while similar actions may be effective in the future, cooperation from Portuguese local authorities is essential.