MED-FIRE-Resilience: Rebuilding Territories and Social Bonds after Mediterranean Megafires

Overall Project Objective

To transform the systemic vulnerability of Mediterranean rural territories—accounting for their specific socio-cultural and political contexts within a multidisciplinary framework—in the face of wildfires into an opportunity to refound local social contracts. This will be achieved through the development of integrated resilience tools that articulate ecological remediation, psychosocial support, and the revision of legal and land-tenure frameworks.

Central Research Questions (Reformulated Problem Statement)

• How do individual and collective traumatic shocks modify risk perception and trust in institutions, thereby rendering top-down public policy approaches obsolete?

• To what extent does the physical destruction of rurbanized spaces reactivate latent conflicts over land ownership and reshape territorial inequalities?

• What are the new markers of "social inclusion" and "living together" when the reference territory is disfigured?

• What hybrid governance mechanisms (State – Local Authorities – Civil Society) can emerge from these crises to sustainably rethink land-use planning?

Consortium

The consortium brings together 07 research teams from Mediterranean universities (Algeria, Tunisia, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Turkey) alongside non-academic partners (Civil Protection agencies, local NGOs, and Ministries of Agriculture).

Mobility and Training Plan

Recruitment of 10 doctoral and post-doctoral researchers.

Expected Results and Impact

• Scientific: An unprecedented typology of "resilient territories" specific to the Mediterranean basin.

• Societal: A "Mediterranean Guide to Post-Fire Good Practices," collectively drafted by researchers and local communities.

• Economic: Modeling of hidden costs (psychosocial impacts and land tenure conflicts) to alert decision-makers to the urgent need for investment in social prevention, beyond purely material infrastructure.

Important Note

The project development involves extensive consultation among all partners prior to application. We are actively seeking partners to apply before 26 November 2026 under the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships programme, and, where applicable, other relevant funding schemes.

• Working languages: French and English.

• Contact email: ri.toumi@univ-skikda.dz

Additional references:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/simorre32/posts/2423981674679557/
https://www.revolutionpermanente.fr/France-Espagne-Algerie-la-Mediterranee-brule-les-gouvernements-sont-responsables