A gathering of several dozen people took place on the stretch of Avenida 5 de Outubro between Rua da Cruz Vermelha and Avenida das Forças Armadas at 3 p.m., organized as a “neighborhood meeting” open to all citizens. The purpose was to express dissatisfaction with the announced felling of jacaranda trees.
The Lisbon City Council has announced plans to cut down 25 jacaranda trees and transplant another 20, along with two plane trees, due to the construction of an underground parking lot.
The spokesperson for the PAN party, Inês de Sousa Real, urged Carlos Moedas to “have the humility to reconsider this decision, which is incorrect and contrary to the environmental commitments that Portugal and the city of Lisbon should adopt.”
Inês de Sousa Real argued that “when decisions are wrong, they should be reconsidered and, above all, altered,” adding that “it is possible to change this project.”
This initiative follows the petition “No to the Felling of Jacarandas on Av. 5 de Outubro,” created on March 21, the Day of the Tree, which has gathered over 50,000 signatures.
Pedro Franco, a resident of Avenida 5 de Outubro and the petition’s first signatory, stated that following a meeting with councilor Joana Almeida, the removal and felling of the jacarandas “is not entirely irreversible.”
“We are not against anyone. We want a constructive solution that involves democratic dialogue between the residents, the City Council, and the private developer [the Fidelidade group], which should exercise its corporate social responsibility and respect the local community’s wishes,” added Franco.
For the citizens advocating for the preservation of the jacaranda trees, “the minimum ambition would be to change the access ramp to the parking lot to save these trees that have been here for decades,” said Franco.
The next steps include a private meeting with the Fidelidade group and a public clarification session on Wednesday afternoon at the Lisbon Forum.
