E-REDES ILLEGALY cuts cork oak forest

On January 20th, Milvoz reported the complete felling of a mature cork oak forest in Lamas (Miranda do Corvo), within a fuel management strip overseen by E-REDES. The case has been referred to SEPNA/GNR, which is now investigating the legality of the operation.

The cork oak is a legally protected tree, and its removal requires authorization from the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF). In such cases, the area can only be cleared with the sole purpose of reducing fuel load continuity, requiring prior approval from ICNF.

On March 10th, Milvoz received a report from SEPNA confirming the violation and the absence of authorization for the cut. A notice of infraction was drawn up and forwarded to ICNF for further processing of the case.

Milvoz strongly condemns this unjustified destruction of the country's natural heritage, in a situation where none of the treetops came close to the power lines. The blind and decontextualized application of fuel management legislation is seriously compromising the country's landscape and biodiversity. These cases highlight flaws in the current legislation, which allows indiscriminate cutting, even in areas of high ecological value and low fire risk. There is an urgent need to review the legislation and implement structural and sustainable solutions that protect biodiversity and avoid costly and ineffective fire resilience interventions.

Milvoz asked E-REDES for clarification but has so far received no reply.