On Tuesday, July 7, the FIREPOL team had the pleasure of contributing to the TOAfrica Summer School with a lecture delivered by our Principal Investigator Lorenza Fontana and our Postdoctoral Researcher Luisa Escobar. 

Entitled “When War Preserves Ecosystems: Conflict and Fire Regimes in Angola”, the lecture explored how the Angolan civil war reshaped access to land, fire regimes, and natural resource use in former UNITA-controlled areas. The session examined the paradox of “accidental conservation”, showing how conflict simultaneously limited ecological exploitation and disrupted beneficial disturbance practices, producing both landscape integrity and long-term social marginalization. It explored, through the lens of fire regimes, how war can have unexpected impacts on livelihoods and landscapes.

A heartfelt thank you to the TOAfrica Summer School for the invitation and to all the participants for the engaging discussion.