Africa is sometimes called ‘the burning continent’ owing to the prevalent use of fire for landscape management. This study shows that precipitation changes associated with El Niño/Southern Oscillation help explain fire trends in Africa over the period 2001–2012. However, a shift in land use from savannah to cropland also reduced fire prevalence in the northern half of the continent.
- Niels Andela
- Guido R. van der Werf