Prescribed fires are low intensity burns in a selected area, at a certain time of the year and at an
appropriate interval return. It is a forest management method with numerous objectives such
as preventing wildfires, creating firebreaks to protect urban areas, improving the grass layer in
grazing areas, restoring habitats to their natural characteristics or for research purposes. Fires
cause a drastic change in ecosystems because it reduces food and shelters, but it also allows for
reproduction and coexistence of plant communities. Terrestrial gastropods are key elements in
an ecosystem because many species are soil decomposers. They are vulnerable to fires for their
limited mobility, which prevents them from escaping fire. Additionally, they are influenced by
the environment, such as habitat structure and soil moisture. This study evaluates prescribed
burns impact for abundance and richness of terrestrial snails in the Massís del Montgrí Natural
Park. Six burned sections and four control areas have been sampled. A total of 433 individuals
from 17 species have been collected, with 200 from the burned plots and 233 from unburned
areas. Significant differences in abundance and species richness were observed between the
burned and control areas. It was shown that a number of burns positively influences the
abundance of large snails. On the other hand, the results show an increase in the number of
small species with more leaf litter and vegetation cover. Control areas accumulate more litter
due to increased forest mass, providing more resources for detritivorous species, especially the
smaller ones. However, the number of individuals of large species decreases, because they can
live in more environments and feed off of vegetation, which allows them to survive in burned
areas better. No significant results were obtained for species richness in the GLM analysis.
Therefore, it is observed that prescribed fires have a negative impact on the abundance of small
species, while benefiting large species
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