Santarém, Castelo Branco, Braga, Coimbra and Aveiro are the districts where there were the most non-compliances with the cleaning of forest land, between 2019 and 2023, the Republican National Guard (GNR) reported this Wednesday.
In a statement, the police force states that, between 2019 and 2023, in the districts where there was a “highest number of non-compliances with fuel management on forest land”, Santarém, Castelo Branco, Braga, Coimbra and Aveiro.
In the “districts where there is a lower record of non-compliance with fuel management on forest land, in the same period, the districts of Évora, Bragança, Portalegre, Viana do Castelo and Beja stand out”, added the GNR.
“From 2019 until April 14, 2024, 4,831 people were identified and 404 suspects were arrested for forest fires,” the note reads.
The GNR considers that, after identifying the causes of fires, “the use of fire is the biggest concern” and, taking into account that “burnings and fires alone contribute to more than 35% of fire occurrences in recent years”, all they must “make an effort so that fuel reduction can be carried out using other alternative methods”, such as “incorporation into the soil and the production of biomass, thus reducing the risk of generating incidents”.
The GNR has assumed as a strategic priority the protection of people and property, in the context of rural fires, “supported by preventive action and reinforced patrolling in forest areas”.
Within the scope of the Integrated Rural Fire Management System (SGIFR), the police force employs military personnel and forest guards from the structure of the Nature and Environmental Protection Service (SEPNA) and the Emergency Protection and Relief Unit (UEPS).
In this sense, between 2019 and 2023, the GNR recorded “35,097 awareness-raising actions, thus reaching 428,389 people”, the note states.
In terms of administrative offenses, from 2019 to 2023, the GNR recorded 19,600 incidents due to lack of clearing of forest land, 3,419 burnings and 1,359 fires, while this year the inspection of land clearing only starts on May 1st and 28 fires have already been detected. and 11 fires.
As a result of awareness-raising actions leading up to the investigation into the causes of forest fires, the GNR noted that, in light of some change in behavior on the part of the general population, 2023 “mirrored what was the lowest number of fires (less 46% of rural fires) and the third lowest value of burned area (72% less).
Regarding “victims directly related to the fires”, the statement states that “2023 was also a unique year, with zero fatalities, reflecting one of the ultimate objectives of the system, which is the safeguarding and protection of human lives”.
“The trend towards a reduction in victims this 2017 proves the Portuguese people’s greater awareness of this issue of fires”, he stressed.
The GNR highlighted that “burning and burning are the main causes of fires in Portugal” and that the “deadline for carrying out fuel management is April 30th”.
