Human-induced climate change has profound effects on extreme events, particularly those linked to global warming, such as heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires. These events disrupt ecosystems, emphasizing the imperative to understand the interactions among them to gauge the risks faced by vulnerable communities. Vulnerability levels vary primarily based on a community’s resources. Rural areas, especially in the Mediterranean region of Europe, are experiencing acute depopulation, creating a complex situation affecting various aspects of society, from economic declines to cultural heritage loss. Population decline in rural regions weakens resources, leading to the abandonment of built environments, fostering desertification, and elevating the risk of wildfires. Communities undergoing this deterioration process become exceptionally vulnerable, especially when dealing with and recovering from extreme natural phenomena. This review offers insights into the dynamics of these hazards and the predominant challenges in rural areas. By focusing on a topic that has received limited attention, the aim is to inform future research initiatives, ultimately improving risk assessment and mitigation strategies for these vulnerable communities.

Depopulation in rural areas poses significant threats to the preservation of vernacular architecture, a key representation of a region's cultural and historical heritage. Across many rural regions of Southern Europe, depopulation has led to significant demographic and cultural shifts. In Portugal, this trend is evident in various interior regions, including the Bragança district where the population has decreased by approximately 47.4% between 1960 and 2021. Over the course of six decades, the district’s population has nearly halved, reflecting broader patterns of rural decline driven by urban migration, aging populations, and economic shifts.This study analyses the physical vulnerability of vernacular dwellings in the Bragança district, focusing on how population decline influences the risk of deterioration and loss. Using quantitative data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) censuses from 1864 to 2021 for population data and from 2001 to 2021 for housing data. Adopting a methodology that enables a comparative and locally tailored evaluation, the study employs three vulnerability indicators: construction period, occupation form, and conservation state, as well as their combined effects. The results revealed that of the 22,877 dwellings identified as vernacular in 2001, only 18,212 remained by 2021, representing a loss of 20.4% over two decades. Furthermore, in 2021, around 23% of the remaining vernacular dwellings were vacant, while 14.2% were categorized as being in poor condition. These findings emphasize the crucial need for targeted preservation strategies, not only in Bragança but also in similar rural contexts facing depopulation and architectural decline across Southern Europe.