Catalonia sets €75m wildfire buffer fund for 2026

The Generalitat will allocate €75 million over five years to help local authorities create fire-protection strips around villages and urbanisations, President Salvador Illa announced on 10 September 2025. For residents and homeowners in settlements beside woodland, the funding is intended to reduce the risk of a forest fire reaching homes and other buildings.

Under the [Generalitat announcement](https://govern.cat/gov/notes-premsa/741500/el-president-illa-anuncia-mesures-per-ajudar-els-municipis-en-la-prevencio-d-incendis-forestals), €15 million a year will be available from 2026 until 2030, compared with €1.5 million a year previously. The money is for local authorities to establish protective strips around population centres and residential developments.

“Forest management and protecting our natural heritage are an absolute, cross-cutting priority for the Government,” Illa told mayors of municipalities affected by this summer's fires in the Terres de l'Ebre.

Funding for prevention plans and woodland management

The Generalitat, Catalonia's autonomous government, also said it would allocate €2 million this year for municipal wildfire-prevention plans. The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food will provide technical assistance for preparing those plans, Illa said.

€2 million is planned this year for drawing up wildfire-prevention plans.
€15 million a year is planned for protective strips in each year from 2026 to 2030.
The five-year allocation totals €75 million, ten times the previous annual €1.5 million allocation.

Illa said too many municipalities in Catalonia still lack wildfire-prevention plans. He added that woodland covers 65% of Catalonia's territory and called for changes in how forests are managed to prevent fires that can become impossible to extinguish.

Municipal councils and other local bodies can follow updates on the measures through the Generalitat's [official announcement](https://govern.cat/gov/notes-premsa/741500/el-president-illa-anuncia-mesures-per-ajudar-els-municipis-en-la-prevencio-d-incendis-forestals).

Primary sources: govern.cat, govern.cat, govern.cat, Generalitat de Catalunya, govern.cat, govern.cat. Reported by Source Text Link, Josep Fusté Llorca Fusté Llorca, El País, elplural.com, Gala Torres, Germán González, À Punt NTC, Regió 7.