Lisbon will see an increase in its green spaces, according to the city’s Mayor, Carlos Moedas. During a public meeting, Moedas emphasized the city’s commitment to planting 200 additional jacaranda trees, countering the recent controversy surrounding the removal of several trees for urban development. “It’s a project with much more greenery compared to now. We are not reducing but significantly increasing with 200 more jacarandas,” he declared.
The controversy involves the planned removal of 25 jacaranda trees and the relocation of another 22 on Avenida 5 de Outubro to facilitate the construction of an underground parking facility. This move spurred a petition against the tree removal, gathering over 46,200 signatures since it was initiated on Arbor Day, March 21.
During the public session, council members from BE, Citizens for Lisbon (elected by the PS/Free coalition), and Free expressed their opposition to both the tree removal and the parking project, citing that it contradicts efforts to reduce private vehicle use in the city.
Moedas, governing without a majority, attributed the public outcry to misinformation, affirming that the city council’s efforts have been aimed at preserving jacaranda trees as part of the broader urban operations in Entrecampos. He stated that while the parking project initially threatened more trees, the council’s interventions have preserved 30 trees, calling this a “very positive” development.
“We’ve managed to decrease the number of trees that could have been felled, and they won’t be,” he noted, dismissing what he described as the political exploitation of the issue.
Despite acknowledging that the project was inherited from the previous administration, Moedas emphasized the critical importance of the urban intervention, advocating for its benefits to the city.
“This initiative will bring more jacarandas and other plant species to the city, and any expert can defend it,” he remarked, confirming the expected addition of 200 jacaranda trees.
From the Socialist Party’s bench, Pedro Anastácio clarified that the prior project approved by the former administration did not endanger any trees politically. He noted an error in measurements had impacted the jacarandas, commending the current PSD/CDS-PP leadership for mitigating that impact.
However, Anastácio asserted that in the current plan, tree removal should only occur when a phytosanitary report justifies it according to public interest, pointing out that this information is missing for the 25 jacarandas slated for removal.
Anastácio urged the Mayor not to ignore the public movement and social sentiment, suggesting a technical commission to assess the adequacy of the proposed compensatory measures.
Communist representative Ana Jara questioned the information on the municipal website claiming Avenida 5 de Outubro would become greener, contrasting with earlier plans to remove all trees from the area, which she labeled propagandistic.
Anastácio also highlighted previous decisions aimed at tree preservation, requiring mayoral authorization for any removal plans, a measure now enacted by Moedas.
Responding to criticisms, Moedas maintained that the project’s plans included tree removal as stated, confirmed by Joana Almeida, the Urbanism Councillor. “There was never a plan to maintain the jacarandas, and it later became evident that retaining them was not feasible,” Almeida clarified.
Regarding the 25 jacarandas set for removal, Almeida suggested that the city’s efforts to save 30 trees and plant an additional 39 should be acknowledged in the press. “Previously, we had 77 trees along this route, and now we will have 118. Initially a corridor of jacarandas, it remains so, with added green spaces replacing some parking areas,” she concluded, describing the current contention as a misunderstanding.
