30/08/2005 – As blazes
are brought under control in Portugal and
Spain, WWF is urgnig the Portuguese and other
Mediterranean government authorities to address
the root causes of forest fires, rather than
merely fighting fires when they happen.
The global conservation organization wants
government authorities to look at fire prevention,
including land-use management.
Since the beginning of August, Portugal has
seen 400 fires a day. Already, 27,000 fires
have occurred and 180,000ha of forest have
burnt down, making this the second worst year
for Portugal since records were kept 25 years
ago.
WWF warns that more areas are under threat
by fires in the coming months as forests will
be drier, water resources will be more scarce,
and fire fighters are exhausted.
"Without investing in proper forest
and land-use management at a large scale,
the region will continue to face such catastrophes
every year," said Luis Neves Silva, a
WWF Forest officer in Portugal.
In Portugal, 95 per cent of forest is privately-owned.
Many are small properties, averaging less
than one hectare. Rural abandonment has largely
occurred in these small-sized properties,
leading to large forest areas being neglected.
"The government has to bring the land
owners together and work with them to create
adequate forest landscapes designed and managed
to prevent fires," added Silva.
Climate change also exacerbates the intensity
and frequency of these fire events. Hotter
summers with less and less humidity and more
winds make the conditions ideal for wildfires.
As most fires are also deliberately or accidentally
lit, WWF underlines the need for such criminals
to be prosecuted, and for public education
on forest fires.
According to the National Authority for forest
fires, nearly 400,000ha of forest were burnt
in 2003 and 120,000ha in 2004. This year,
the fires were mainly in central and northern
Portugal, where the forest consists mainly
of pine and eucalyptus trees.
