Here’s How Horses and Cattle Help Fight Wildfires

Spain is reintroducing wild herbivores, such as Przewalski’s horses and Taurus cattle, to a fire-prone region, aiming to restore ecological balance and mitigate the severity of fires.

“It was an amazing feeling … to bring these animals here,” says Pablo Schapira, team leader with Rewilding Spain.

In 2023, 16 Przewalski’s horses were reintroduced into central Spain. Today, the herd stands at 35 horses. These and other large herbivores help manage long grasses and woody shrubs that fuel wildfires. Horses graze tall grass that deer cannot, while Taurus cattle break up dense vegetation and even dig in the earth with their horns. The project already holds grazing rights over 23,000 hectares, aiming to increase that to 30,000 hectares by 2030, with a long-term ambition to impact 850,000 hectares. Local ecotourism is also growing: over €200,000 in small loans have been awarded to tourism operators, helping revive local economies. This approach shows how rewilding can be more than restoration. It’s a radical approach to realigning landscapes with natural fire resilience and community benefits.