Report warns of ‘faster, more severe’ fires possible

The Agency for Integrated Fire Management (AGIF) is warning of the potential for “faster and stronger” fires that could burn more than 750,000 hectares in a year without active vegetation management.

AGIF, which this Thursday presented the 2023 System Integrated Fire Management (SGIFR) report to Parliament, reports progress made in recent years in reducing the number of fires and the area burned, but draws attention to the fact that the country faces “fire paradox” due to the lack of planned fuel management.

“Unless the actively managed area is increased through increased forestry, silvopasture and controlled fires, Portugal will increasingly be exposed to serious fires that could burn more than 750 thousand hectares in one year and/or destroy unique sites and threaten associated infrastructure . and urban communities,” says AGIF, led by Thiago Oliveira.

In its annual report, the organization states that while necessary advances have been made in planning, prevention, preparedness and mitigation, “territory interventions are not yet occurring at the spatial scale to be sufficient.”

“Without this scale – about 300 thousand hectares of permanently managed vegetation defined in the National Action Program – Portugal and the Portuguese are faced with a fire paradox: because we have made great strides in reducing the number of fires and the area burned, without actively managing post-fire situations, especially in 2017 year, and without large-scale intervention in the remaining green space, we have allowed the accumulation of excellent vegetation, shrubs and trees over the past six years, which will contribute to faster and more severe fires,” the document says.

According to AGIF, “despite the results and strength of the path traveled, it cannot yet be said that the country is protected from serious rural fires, since 14 of the 20 goals of the strategic directions have not yet been achieved.”

The institution points out that after the major fires of 2017, it was possible to “reduce the likelihood of fires, avoid natural disasters and gain time”, but it is necessary to mobilize owners, producer associations, companies and municipalities to increase the areas under forestry, livestock management and controlled fires.

“Although there are positive results and much-needed progress has been made, the danger will remain due to the lack of political resolve to coordinate, accelerate and implement the Programme. In fact, at the current pace of PNA implementation [Programa Nacional de Ação 2020-2030]and SGIFR will not be able to achieve its 2030 targets,” the report said.

AGIF recognizes that “there is a large delay in projects that allow for changes in the behavior of economic agents, the ability to provide targeted funding for sub-regional action programs with commitments to inter-municipal communities, and in the review of work processes in favor of efficiency and improving the quality of technical solutions and investments.”

However, the report states that “genetically, it can be stated that the global goals of the National Action Program are in line with expectations”, taking into account that since 2018, fire-related deaths have become a rare event, and 2023 was the first year in which no deaths were recorded. not a single death.

According to AGIF, the annual cumulative fire area remained below 66,000 hectares, and the percentage of fires exceeding 500 hectares was less than 0.3%.

Created after the 2017 fires, AGIF, under the control of the Prime Minister, is responsible for the planning, strategic coordination and evaluation of the Integrated Rural Fire Management System.