Environmental problem targeted

The main challenge targeted by this project is the frequency of forest fires in Galicia and their concentration over certain periods and areas, which in most of the cases are human-induced. In addition to the major economic, social and frequently human lives losses, forest fires have a series of significant negative impacts on the environment that must be prevented.

Forest fires are one of the main factors that today contribute to the loss of biodiversity in the EU (trees and other flora, forest birds and other animal species that live in the forest), to the destruction of the organic layer of the soil, to the emissions of particle and gases into the atmosphere (such as CO2), to making soil more prone to erosion and landslides and may lead to desertification on the long term.

The recent European Environment Agency report calls the attention to the fact that the most drastic damage to forests in Europe is caused by forest fires. With regard to the concrete situation of Galicia, it is (together with the neighboring Portugal) the EU region which suffers from forest fires the most considering the total area occupied by forest. When compared to the rest of the country, it is the region with the greater number of forest fires: the average of the participation quota for the period 2000-2005 is around 50%. In absolute numbers, Galicia has registered almost 145.000 forest fires during the period 1991-2004 affecting an area that approaches the 340.000ha. This represents an immense environmental loss that will take years and years to be restored, correspond to millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere and suppose great financial implications when we consider both the loss of ecosystem services and the cost of the resources used to fight the forest fires and to restore the forestland that was destroyed. Galicia has, therefore experienced severe damage by forest fires in recent years.

The concentration and recidivism of forest fires in Galicia over certain periods and in concrete areas cause important environmental, economic and human losses. Unfortunately, it is undisputable that natural phenomena are the cause of forest fires only for a very small part of the cases. Cause-studies and the subsequent use of burnt land, demonstrate that the immense majority of forest fires are human-induced, be it intentional or the negligent use of fire. Amongst the most common causes for forest fires caused by the negligent use of fire are agriculture, pasture renewal and forest debris burns that get out of control yet, studies show that intentionality is behind most of the forest fires in Galicia. It is estimated that only 4% of the forest fires that occur in Spain are due to natural causes, 16% have unknown causes and all the other have a human origin. Consequently, almost 80% of forest fires are preventable.

The Dirección Xeral de Montes of the Regional Government of Galicia considers that this project aligns with the late tendencies of European and national legislations and policies, based on the understanding that new strategies and approaches are needed to tackle the challenge of the forest fires. On one hand they have been consolidating intolerance towards forest fires and, on the other hand, they have been underlining the effectiveness of information, awareness raising and educational measures in the field of prevention.

With this project, the Dirección Xeral expects to address the root causes of the forest fires, by contributing to raise awareness of the multiple benefits of forests, make aware citizens to the importance of forests in Europe and explaining the negative effects, namely the vast loss of biodiversity that forest fires cause. The Dirección Xeral answers the call made to regional authorities by the Work Program of the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (Seville, 2007). The Dirección Xeral also believes that prevention has to be recognized as the only viable and cost-effective way to avoid irreversible losses in forests, as stated at the 2005 Conference on Forest Fires in Southern Europe – From Prevention to Restoration. This project will furthermore contribute to implement the EU Forest Action Plan, namely Key Action 9 aiming at enhancing the protection of EU forests, by targeting the main population groups that have a direct and frequent relation with forests (such as people from rural areas and dedicated to agricultural and pastoral activities and forest landowners) and/or a big potential of acting as multipliers of the information received (such as the school students).