Can the bison’s big appetite stop Spain’s forest fires?

[Eldorado]

Climate change and rural depopulation are among the factors driving an increase in Spain’s forest fires, says Mónica Parrilla, who is responsible for Greenpeace’s forest fire campaign.

At the same time, a decline in sheep herding is leaving Spain without a large herbivore to clear the undergrowth that fuels the fires.

Step forward the European bison, driven to extinction in Spain 10,000 years ago, but now growing in numbers due to a programme to reintroduce the species.

The bison opens up dense parts of the forest, which lets in light and allows grass to grow instead of scrub.

Guardian article at MSN