What can be done to avoid more devastating forest fires in Portugal?

At last the high temperatures have dropped and, in some regions of Portugal, there has even been a sprinkling of rain. However, there has been nothing like enough rain to lessen the risk of wild fires breaking out such as the one which, beginning on 17 June, claimed the lives of 64 people in the central Portuguese region of Leiria. After a dry spring and the hottest start to summer in 40 years, Portugal remains an arid and vulnerable tinder box.

Probably caused by a dry thunderstorm, the fire then was fanned by strong winds and fueled by high temperatures. Within hours it had spread to a huge area around the village of Pedrogao Grande.

As Portugal slowly picks itself up after the country’s worst fire-related disaster on record, people are asking whether more can be done to avoid future loss of life and even whether this type of fire could be prevented in the first place. Quercus, Portugal’s leading environmental lobby, has pointed to “forest management errors and bad political decisions.”

The least you can say is that the situation is a complex one. Over one third of Portugal is covered by forest and much of this large area is owned by tens of thousands of small holders, with only a meagre 3% in the hands of the State. This fragmented property map can sometimes cause doubt about ownership and uncertainty as to who exactly is responsible for forest maintenance and clearance.

To add to this already confused context, in the period of austerity which followed the economic crisis, it was decided to concentrate scarce resources on fire-fighting to the detriment of prevention. This was despite recommendations made ten years ago by a government commissioned forest fire prevention report that included measures to improve forest clearance and create fire breaks.

Most types of Mediterranean vegetation burn well, but the most common species of tree in the Portuguese forest, the eucalyptus, burns particularly well. The problem is that eucalyptus is used in making wood pulp for Portugal’s profitable paper industry. Portugal experiences more forest fires each year than any other Southern European country.

To its credit, António Costa’s government did announce measures to combat wild fires three months ago. These included restrictions on planting eucalyptus trees and the introduction of simplified property registration to have a better idea of which land is being neglected. However, these measures have not yet been legally enforced.

Inadequate alert systems and communications systems failures have also been criticized for probably causing unnecessary loss of life.

It has been pointed out that Portugal does not have simple and effective procedures, such as sending text messages, for alerting people in remote rural areas when there are forest fires. The emergency services communication network, SIRESP, also failed when it was most needed with calls for help not getting through.

When fire fighters failed to show up, some people may have panicked and attempted to flee in cars instead of staying in their homes. With the communication system not working, the National Republican Guard then failed to close off the N236 road and drivers found themselves trapped in an avenue of flames. 47 people died attempting to escape down what the press has named the “road of death.”

With climate change likely to lead to both drier winters and hotter summers, more now needs to be done to prevent the regular reocurrence of these devastating and deadly fires.

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The author, James Mayor, is the founder of Grape Discoveries, a wine and culture boutique travel company

See the 'Grape Discoveries' website

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