“I believe you should take on the mission of bringing all entities together. Lock them in a room, and they only leave once a solution is found. It’s a good task for you. Gather them behind closed doors one afternoon, and don’t leave until the matter is resolved,” stated Manuel Castro Almeida during the closing speech of the session “NORTH 2030 — Nature Conservation and Biodiversity,” promoted by CCDR-N in Ponte da Barca, district of Viana do Castelo.
In his address to officials from municipalities, the Nature and Forest Conservation Institute (ICNF), the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), and other management entities of the region’s protected areas, Castro Almeida mentioned that “something must be done to stop the fires,” suggesting the use of firefighting goats as an example.
“Seated in a constructive environment, around a table with a sense of public service, with the intelligence and connection to the territory you possess,” he proposed.
For the minister, “there is no one better to find a solution to this problem.”
“It’s pointless; we all defend our own interests and then see the results of the fires. This is just a waste of effort. It’s incompetence on our part. Either we find a solution to this, or we don’t deserve the salary we earn. Fires of this scale, happening routinely, and we remain complacent, undecided if firefighting goats are the answer or some other solution,” Castro Almeida remarked.
During the event, a protocol was signed to establish and promote the thematic network “Nature Conservation and Biodiversity Further North,” which strengthens technical and institutional coordination between entities responsible for the management and enhancement of protected areas.
The “protocol aims to promote cooperation, knowledge exchange, and territorial sustainability in a collective effort to preserve the natural heritage and ecosystems of the North.”
