More than 200 brown-and-white goats munch their way through thick undergrowth in Portugal. They think they’re just filling their hungry bellies. Actually, they’re fighting fires.

Wildfire blazes happen in Portugal every year. Last year’s fires were especially dangerous. Sixty-four people died. The fiery red sky could be seen as far away as Great Britain! Lots of waist-high brush grows in Portugal. In hot weather, the north wind helps fire race across the vegetation. People need a serious brush cleanup—for their own safety. So officials decide: “Send in the goats!” Goats graze down low, dry plant life that can turn ordinary fires into serious wildfires.

And goats are just part of the solution. Portuguese officials also push new laws. These laws encourage people: “Grow different trees! Pick something that stands up well to flames!” (Right now many Portuguese people farm eucalyptus. That’s a fast-growing tree. They harvest it for paper. But guess what? Eucalyptus also burns like paper.) Officials hire 12 water-dumping planes and 41 helicopters. They put 10,700 firefighters on standby. That’s 1,000 more than last year. They make sure that when fire approaches, church bells will ring out a warning.

Do you live in a place affected by wildfires? Many people around the world do. Officials must decide the best ways to protect people and property. Some Portuguese citizens criticize their government. They say officials spend too little money to manage forestland. They think authorities should punish landowners who abandon forests. Once, many farmers allowed their goat herds to roam Portugal’s hills. The herds kept flammable grasses in check. But many young people have left the Portuguese countryside for cities. Some elderly sheep herders have died. Others have given up. The young don’t seem interested in the goat-herding life.

This season, dozens of hired goat herds chomp along. But it will probably take years of change to make Portugal more fire safe.