Forest Fires / Wildfires
Photos: Kate Stevenson, Covelos, August 2005
Who's to Blame?
In the last five years, Portugal has lost 25 percent of its forest area to fires, and last year some 325,000 hectares burnt. In 2004 129,652 hectares were burnt, and in 2003 - the worst for wildfires in the last two decades - the blazes burned 425,000 hectares.
Portugal has seven times more fires per 1,000 hectares than Spain; 20 times more than France; seven times more than Italy; and 22 times more than Greece, said the Liga para a Protecção da Natureza (League for the Protection of Nature), Portugal's oldest environmental organisation, referring to the European Commission study.
There are many reasons why the situation is so acute. Extreme heat and drought over the last years is a major factor. However, a Reuters report of 22 August 2005 blames poor land management which made it harder for firefighters in drought-stricken Portugal to tackle the country's worst forest fires in decades.
Portugal's biggest problem is the lack of a central registry of land ownership, said Domingos Cartaxo, a forest engineer with Quercus environmental group. "Land registration is key," he said. "Many laws can be introduced, but if this structural question is not addressed, the fires will continue to burn. If there was a central registry, the authorities could identify forest owners and compel them to create fire walls of cleared land, or to plant belts of fire-resistant tree species, making it much easier to prevent or control fires", he said.
Uncertainty over who owns land is made worse by the fact that many Portuguese are abandoning land they own in rural areas, meaning there is no-one to monitor many of the country's forests. The planting of large areas of eucalyptus for paper and pulp in recent years has also contributed to the spread of forest fires because they burn more easily than many other species. Cartaxo thinks a land registry has not been created because it would be too expensive at a time when Portugal is struggling to contain the biggest budget deficit in the European Union.
Still, the increasingly severe lack of rain in recent years has given the idea new impetus. "The state needs to take radical measures," the daily Diario de Noticias said in an editorial, adding that that should include "interfering with property rights" if necessary. Prime Minister José Socrates has vowed to tackle the underlying problems that make the firefighters' task so hard. Luciano Lourenço, head of the Forest Fire Prevention Agency, said some reforms introduced after devastating fires in 2003 were taking effect, but "it is not possible to make changes from one year to the next."
Another major factor is arson. Last year 129 people where arrested - some of them firefighters. As the price of eucalyptus wood becomes lowered after a fire, the pulp industry (or 'euculyptus mafia' as it is known locally) are also blamed.
Whatever the causes the results are devastating. Last year 16 people died and many people lost their homes and livelihood, in addition to the damage to the enviroment and wildlife.
What you can do to protect yourself:
Remember this number 177 write it on your mobile and land line. If you see a fire starting call them immediately, it doesn't matter how bad your Portuguese is - just tell them where you are.
Get your house insured. It's a lot cheaper that having to build a new one!
Keep your land clear so that fire cannot spread. The insurance may not pay up if your house has burnt and you have not cleared a 50m 'firebreak' around it.
Keep plenty of containers of water around your house. Buckets & hoses etc.
If you have wells on your land or a swimming pool make sure you can pump water from them, or that the bombeiros can get to them. Remember that often the eletricity supply is cut by the fire before it reaches you, so alternatively powered pumps or a generator is advisable. Never refill a generator or pump with petrol when it is running or hot!
Also, remember that diesel engines won't start if there is a lack of oxygen. Start diesel pumps (and your car if you think you may need to make a quick escape) BEFORE the smoke reaches you.
The Bombeiros (Firemen) are a voluntary organisation and you can offer your services to them as a firefighter. Just get in touch with your local department.
From 01 June to 30 September it is against the law to:
- Burn bonfires or outdoor fires of any kind, including campfires.
- Set off fireworks of any description.
- Smoke or even to strike a lighter or match in a forested area.