After seasons described as catastrophic, causing devastating fires and extensive losses in forest cover in a number of Maghreb countries, fears will return once again as the summer of 2026 approaches, in light of climate indicators warning of rising temperatures and an abundance of flammable vegetation.
Between prevention plans and strengthening aerial surveillance and intervention systems, countries in the region are entering a race against time to avoid repeating the scenarios of past years that turned thousands of hectares of forests into ashes.
Hot summer
In Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, forest fires are no longer isolated seasonal events, but rather have turned into a complex environmental threat that threatens forest systems and biodiversity, and puts pressure on residents close to forest areas, in light of the escalating effects of climate change.
The scene is further complicated by the fact that current climate indicators combine rising temperatures, successive periods of drought, and the return of dense vegetation after rainfall, creating natural fuel that is quickly flammable and a wider spread of fires when they break out.
Environmental experts believe that forest fires are no longer just seasonal events, but rather have become directly linked to climate change, especially with rising temperatures, successive droughts, and a change in the nature of vegetation.
In light of this reality, the Maghreb countries are moving towards a more comprehensive and proactive approach, linking firefighting, adaptation to climate change, protecting ecosystems, and rehabilitating damaged forests, in an attempt to avoid more severe scenarios during the summer of 2026.
What do experts say?
In the regional context, Hussein Al-Rhaili, a specialist in development and resource management in Tunisia, says that the Maghreb countries, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, are facing mounting climate pressure, in light of successive years of drought that have lasted six or seven years, with the exception of the current season, which witnessed significant rainfall.
He confirmed in a statement to Al Jazeera Net that the forest fires that the region witnessed in recent years caused huge losses in forest areas, noting that the record high temperatures, in addition to the winds, contributed to the expansion of the fires and the complexity of control operations.
The same expert believes that field data reveal that the currently adopted strategies, despite their relative development, are no longer capable alone of confronting the magnitude of the risks associated with accelerating climate change.
He stresses that the current stage requires moving to more stringent proactive approaches based on developing early warning systems and maintaining paths leading to forests to facilitate the intervention of fire brigades and limit the expansion of fires.
It also calls for creating water basins within forests to ensure the availability of nearby sources of water during suppression operations, in addition to employing modern technology and artificial intelligence to detect fire spots early before they get out of control.
Readiness of countries
Hussein believes that integrating forest residents into integrated development projects constitutes one of the basic keys to any effective strategy, given their proximity to these spaces and their ability to play an early warning role, whether in monitoring, reporting, or reducing risks.
Despite the many national plans in the Maghreb countries, from strengthening air surveillance to modernizing rapid intervention methods, experts warn that accelerating climate changes may make the summer of 2026 a real test of the readiness of these systems.
In Algeria, civil protection capabilities have been strengthened by raising the level of air and ground surveillance, and intensifying rapid intervention in high-risk forest areas, especially during peak summer periods.
In Tunisia, the focus was on awareness campaigns and strengthening field monitoring in the northern forests and mountainous areas, which are considered the most vulnerable to fires during the summer.
In Morocco, the authorities are moving to strengthen their preparations for the forest fire season, through a preventive, digital and logistical program aimed at strengthening intervention mechanisms and limiting the spread of fires.
In this context, the Director General of the National Water and Forests Agency, Abdel Rahim Homi, explained to Al Jazeera Net that the 2026 season is characterized by an abundance of dense and highly flammable vegetation, due to the recent rainfall, which raises the level of risks during the summer.
Homi added that the allocated program, estimated at 150 million dirhams (about 15 million dollars), is based on strengthening the forest infrastructure by opening and maintaining paths, preparing water points and strengthening control towers, in addition to supporting human resources and logistical means for rapid intervention.
The same spokesman indicated that the adopted approach is based on strengthening prevention before intervention, improving biomass management, and strengthening coordination between the various interveners, based on experience accumulated over the past years.
In light of this reality, forest fires in the region appear less and less as a seasonal occurrence, and more as one of the manifestations of a prolonged climate crisis, which re-raises the question of preparedness and the limits of the ability of current policies to withstand a summer that is getting hotter year after year.
