In a press release, the coalition between the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Green Party (PEV) calls for greater prevention, planning, and coordination on the ground to combat the Oliveira do Hospital fires. The two political parties therefore call for “greater wisdom to support concrete actions, starting with the entities dedicated to this issue, from local authorities to the government, including the ICNF (Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests) and the various operational firefighting commands.” They also emphasize the need to inform and prepare the population for this scourge, and advocate for the planning and implementation of prevention actions during the winter period.
Among the measures advocated by the communists are “the democratization of prevention and civil protection actions: involving the 17 parishes, mayors, and residents in the functioning of the Municipal Forest Fire Defense and Civil Protection Commissions, ensuring transparency and participation,” as well as the implementation of “practical planning actions, focusing on fire prevention and control, including planned reforestation.”
They also accuse the Municipality of Oliveira do Hospital of underutilizing existing official instruments, namely “the Safe Village Program, a program for the protection of Population Clusters and Forest Production, the cleaning and restoration of the primary network of agroforestry trails, and the ‘Safe People’ program,” arguing that, “in the latter case, training should be provided for situations such as what to do to protect a village and its population during a nearby fire.”
Partido Ecologista Os Verdes
They also highlights the role of “‘Village Condominiums’ for cleaning surrounding areas and, for example, the AIGP – Integrated Landscape Management Areas, all of which should also be democratized, with much greater coverage of the municipality’s urban and rural areas.” However, he recalls the lessons learned from the “previous practical ‘failure’ of the ZIF – Forest Intervention Zones, to avoid repeating mistakes and failures, particularly in terms of their management, knowing that, ultimately, the institutional responsibility for AIGP is the City Council.”
Support should be faster and less bureaucratic, they point out.
“We are eagerly awaiting the announcement of several measures with support, both from the Government and from the Oliveira do Hospital City Council. These are targeted aid measures for those affected during this difficult time. They are also welcome aid, and we urge that they come quickly and without bureaucracy,” the coalition requests.
They also advocate “that they be supplemented by other measures, such as the creation of on-the-ground processes for cleaning burned areas and soil consolidation, as well as the concentration of timber ‘saved’ from fires for controlled sale, in order to generate additional income for the Owners, Forest Producers, and Common Land Shareholders.”
