The party recalls that the goal of clearing one million hectares of forest between 2020 and 2024 was established after the 2017 fires. However, recent reports indicate that only 400,000 hectares have been managed so far. Livre suggests this figure highlights structural difficulties in meeting the targets set in the PNA.
Livre has questioned Luís Montenegro in a formal query submitted through the Assembly of the Republic regarding the reasons identified by the Government for the delay and failure to meet targets, as well as the actions planned to achieve these goals promptly and ensure targets are met by 2030.
The parliamentary group, led by Isabel Mendes Lopes, emphasizes the insufficient interventions on the ground, reduced investments, and increasing neglect of parts of the forest, which exacerbate the landscape’s vulnerability to climate change and increase fire severity.
“It is therefore urgent to accelerate the mobilization of society, resources, and policy implementation to avoid the repeat of the worst-case scenarios experienced in recent years,” argues the party.
Livre cites a report from the Agency for Integrated Fire Management (AGIF) in which experts warn of the urgent need to speed up the implementation of measures, highlighting the risks of inaction in forestry. These include the potential for faster and more severe fires that could burn more than 750,000 hectares in a single year and/or destroy unique sites and threaten critical infrastructures and urban communities.
Regarding the AGIF’s warning, Livre questions the Government about what measures will be adopted to guarantee preventive and large-scale forest management and how it justifies the reduction in investments and resources for sustainable forest management and fire prevention.
Furthermore, Livre inquiries about alternative complementary funding plans to ensure that forest management and protection actions are not hampered by the budget cuts reported by sector associations in 2024.
