Lisbon, Feb. 16, 2021 (Lusa) - Forests will get €665 million, including for the transformation of the landscape of vulnerable territories and record-keeping, according to the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) to access EU post-crisis Covid-19 funds.

According to the RRP, the government put out to public consultation on Tuesday, among the reforms to be implemented in the forestry sector are the transformation of the landscape of vulnerable forest territories, the reorganisation of the rural property record system and the system for monitoring land occupation, and the prevention and fighting of rural fires.

In the presentation of the objectives of structural change for forests, the government highlighted the abandonment of territories and traditional primary sector activities and the situation of Portugal with the highest proportion of burnt area in rural territories in southern Europe, warning that, in a context of climate change, "events such as the downburst of June 2017 will be increasingly likely, with potentially catastrophic consequences in contexts of high concentration of fuel and steep slopes".

In the transformation of the landscape of vulnerable forest territories, the government foresees an investment of €270 million, which will enable the realisation of 20 Landscape Reordering and Management Programmes (PRGP) in the environments classified as vulnerable, the constitution of 90 Integrated Landscape Management Areas (AIGP) and the support of 800 villages with fuel management projects.

As for the land registry and the land occupation monitoring system, there is €96 million, to "provide the country with up-to-date and detailed knowledge of the territory, both in terms of land registry, with identification of landowners and the boundaries and characterisation of the property, and in terms of reference cartography, on which the various national, regional and local planning processes can be based.

An investment of €92 million is planned for rural fire-fighting resources, which also aims to invest in reinforcing the state's resources to prevent and fight rural fires, namely for the "acquisition of vehicles, machinery, implements and equipment; the purchase of light and/or medium-sized helicopters; and the acquisition and installation of two dual-polarization radars, with a computing and filing system, the installation of thunderstorm detectors and an automatic meteorological station.

SSM/ADB // ADB.

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