“There used to be fires every year, but since 2019 when we started coming here, we’ve had one small fire in the first year and nothing since,” Perez, 37, said. She explained that the horses help reduce the risk of wildfires by clearing the undergrowth between trees, preventing fires from igniting and spreading. Fire prevention is just one of the ecological benefits wild horses provide in Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain known for its delicate ecosystems.

Scientists said Europe’s largest herd of wild horses plays a key role in maintaining these landscapes although the population has dropped dramatically. In the 1970s, about 22,000 wild horses roamed the region’s mountains, forests and heathlands. Today, only half remain. On the Serra da Groba heathland, located 80km (50 miles) southwest of Barro, wild horses feed on the yellow flowers of gorse – a highly combustible plant. “By selectively clearing [gorse], the horses help prevent wildfires,” said Laura Lagos, a researcher at the University of A Coruna. Horse grazing allows other plants, such as purple-flowering heather and white asphodels, to flourish, Lagos explained. “It also helps preserve the heather around peat bogs, which are abundant in sphagnum mosses – one of the most effective ecosystems for capturing carbon,” she said.

A 2021 study by the University of A Coruna in which Lagos participated found that wild horse grazing was the most effective method for preventing wildfires, promoting plant biodiversity and capturing carbon. The study compared this method with other land uses, including planting long-term pine forests, short-term eucalyptus plantations and grazing by domesticated animals. Although sheep and cattle can also help reduce wildfire risks through grazing, Lagos noted that wild horses are uniquely adapted to Galicia’s rugged terrain. She highlighted one distinctive characteristic: “moustaches that appear designed to protect their lips from the prickly gorse.” Hotter, drier weather due to climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires in Galicia. From 2001 to 2023, fires burned through 970sq km (375sq miles) in the region, according to Global Forest Watch. (Al Jazeera/Reuters)