“The problem of forest fires in Portugal remains because there has not yet been political will on the part of successive governments to implement practical and effective actions on whose necessity there is a consensus in Portuguese society,” the two groups said in a joint statement.
They listed 12 proposed measures that they are to put to parliament, with the demand that they be implemented urgently.
These include changes to legislation to protect the forest against fires, territorial planning laws that they said are “easy” to put into practice, moves to restructure landholdings, and rules relating to industrial licensing and markets.
According to the two groups, existing legislation to prevent fires “is quite complete and could, if it was observed, be an important factor with implications for the reduction in combustible matter” on the forest floor, which in turn would have an important role in reducing the frequency of large, fierce fires.
The groups propose that anyone who does not observe the law or ensure that it is observed should be prosecuted in the civil or criminal courts, and recalled that “combating illegality is a national imperative, including with respect to the forest, and the country can no longer leave unpunished those who put whole communities in mortal risk.”
The list of proposed measures includes rules to “combat the predominance of forest monocultures so as to break the vicious circle of the expansion of eucalyptus”.
The widespread planting of eucalyptus - a fast-growing, non-native species - is blamed by many for the rapid spread of flames in the case of fires such as this month’s devastating ones in central Portugal.
The two groups go so far as to call for “the total prohibition of new areas with plantations of fast-growing species, in particular of eucalyptus” and the criminal prosecution of anyone who plants or replants areas with trees without a licence. They argue that it should be compulsory to plant more slow-burning hardwoods along both municipal and national roads, with trees set at least 20 metres back from either side.
The groups call for the authorities to buy up land with dispersed ownership in order to promote better use of the land and improve security and biodiversity. They also want a system to trace the marketing of forest products to keep a closer eye on their final use. TPN/Lusa