@article{fdi:010096849,
  title = {{W}hen less burning does not mean cleaner air : decoupling of burned area, fire-related {PM}2.5 emissions, and population exposure in {W}est {A}frica},
  author = {{O}uattara, {B}. and {T}our{\'e}, {N}. and {D}anumah, {J}. and {L}iu, {T}. and {M}ouillot, {F}lorent},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{F}ire activity plays a central role in {W}est {A}frican ecosystems. {H}owever, substantial uncertainties remain in how changes in burned area ({BA}) are reflected in fire-related particulate emission estimates and, through their in-



fluence on air quality, in population exposure. {T}his study provides a two-decade regional assessment of trends in {BA}, fire-related {PM}2.5 emissions, climate variables, and population exposure across {W}est {A}frica from 2002 to



2023. {BA} declined significantly across most {S}udanian and {S}ahelian savannas, with several countries experiencing reductions exceeding 50 %. {I}n contrast, fire-related {PM}2.5 emissions showed weaker or non-significant declines



and increased in parts of the coastal and forest-savanna mosaic, where agricultural and peri-urban open burning is common. {T}hese results indicate that {BA} alone is no longer a reliable proxy for open biomass-burning emissions



in {W}est {A}frica. {A} decoupling index was developed to identify locations where {BA} and fire-related {PM}2.5 emissions evolve independently. {A}pproximately 7 % of the domain falls into strict or lenient decoupling categories,



encompassing an estimated 551 000 residents. {D}ecoupling is concentrated in agricultural mosaics and peri?urban landscapes, consistent with shifts in fire use, land-use practices, and fuel types associated with higher emissions



per unit area burned. {A}t the annual scale, fire-related {PM}2.5 emissions are positively associated with temperature in many countries and negatively associated with precipitation in semi-arid regions, suggesting that climate



variability modulates emission patterns even where {BA} declines. {P}opulation exposure analyses reveal contrasting trends: the population-weighted {PM}2.5 indicator decreases over time ({T}heil-{S}en slope of -0.34 kt person-1 yr-1),



while total exposure increases in most countries due to rapid population growth, often occurring alongside urban expansion and changing emission environments. {D}espite declining fire extent, total exposure increases signifi-



cantly in 11 countries, highlighting emerging spatial inequalities in fire-related air pollution. {O}verall, the findings show that reductions in {BA} do not necessarily translate into proportional reductions in fire-related



emissions or population exposure. {F}ire management and air-quality strategies in {W}est {A}frica should therefore move beyond {BA} metrics alone and explicitly consider emission intensity and demographic dynamics.},
  keywords = {{AFRIQUE} {DE} {L}'{OUEST}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{E}nvironmental {C}hallenges},
  volume = {22},
  numero = {},
  pages = {101424 [16 ], [{C}orrigendum, 101487 [1 p.], 2026]},
  ISSN = {2667-0100},
  year = {2026},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.envc.2026.101424},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010096849},
}