“The true prevention will take more than ten years to start showing results. It is necessary to leverage the Bupi platform to contact landowners and encourage the creation of a land market where the transaction value is below 0.50 euros per m2, with penalties for sales exceeding this value in IMT [Municipal Tax on Property Transfers] and Stamp Duty, and strong penalties for undeclared sales,” emphasized João Nunes.
In a statement to the Lusa agency, the head of the BLC3 Association – Campus of Technology and Innovation, based in Oliveira do Hospital in the Coimbra district, explained that this land market should consider that investing more than 0.50 euros per m2 in agriculture and forestry “makes the ‘payback time’ very long.”
“This leads to the owner’s disinterest, especially when this time exceeds the fire cycle, which is usually seven to eight years,” he warned.
According to João Nunes, a tax system should also be created to stimulate land use based on the risk of fire and soil health.
“It doesn’t make sense for those who care for the land properly to pay the same IMI [Municipal Property Tax] as those who have everything abandoned and receive the same benefit in IRS (none). An IMI with brackets should be created, monitored annually via satellite, along with a system for deducting investment and ecosystem maintenance expenses in IRS,” he stated.
The creation of agricultural reception areas, located on the outskirts of villages and towns in the interior, should also be considered “to avoid two major investments.”
“The acquisition of land should be avoided, allowing for agricultural exploration programs for 20 years, with minimum areas per plot of three to ten hectares, to allow different types of cultivation, and with a system of shared services: water management, technical support, and the use of tractors and implements,” he added.
According to the head of the BLC3 innovation center, which develops more drought-resistant pine trees, responsible exploration and use of eucalyptus stands ecosystems should also be considered.
“There should be a professional license for those intending to plant eucalyptus and a social liability insurance. Planting eucalyptus on mountainsides with slopes greater than 25 to 30% should not be allowed,” he argued.
His suggestions also include creating a program to discontinue monocultures of eucalyptus and maritime pine on 10% of the central and northern region of Portugal, creating ecological strips to be managed by either private entities or the State (via the municipality) in the absence of private interest.
