|
Algarve |
![]() |
|
|
First forest fire of 2007 strikes in Tavira
• 13 Jun 2007 •
 SEVEN fire departments joined forces to fight a fire in a woodland area of the Tavira hills in the Algarve, the first official forest fire of this year. The fire, which burnt brush and cork oaks at Cachopo, was put out after a few hours by 65 fire fighters.
Tavira Mayor Macário Correia said fighting the blaze was hampered by difficult access and strong winds. He went on to explain that even though summer had not started, the local council had already organised a clean-up of the woodland areas with the help of local land owners.
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), every year, the Mediterranean is struck by more than 50,000 fires which burn up to 800,000 hectares of forests and 95 per cent of those fires are deliberate or lit accidentally by people. The WWF said that large-scale forest fires throughout the Mediterranean have increased dramatically during the last few decades, mainly due to development, land conversion, rural mismanagement and overexploitation of natural resources.
In addition, climate change is provoking longer summer droughts, and extreme weather events, including periods of high temperatures, very dry air and very strong winds, along with sudden storms with heavy rainfall. The WWF reports show that forest fires are threatening critical areas in the Mediterranean. For example, in the Monchique and Caldeirão mountains in the Algarve, forest fires are destroying the habitats of the Iberian lynx, the Bonelli eagle, and many endemic plant species.
“Government response to forest fires tends to focus on suppression and on investing in expensive technological solutions rather than concentrating on the management of forests,” said Pedro Regato, Head of the WWF Mediterranean Programme Office’s Forest Programme. “Without investing in substantial preventive measures these solutions will only make the fires worse.”
The WWF is calling on governments to develop and implement strict prevention policies and funding mechanisms to address the root causes of forest fires, as well as establishing efficient fire fighting systems, building capacity in rural areas for managing fires, and prosecuting offenders.
Once the fires have died down, native fire tolerant tree species should be planted as part of efforts to restore the forest, said the WWF which has been planting cork forests in Portugal, which not only restore growth but also provide valuable income to local people. |  Return to Top
Home Page
Send by Email |
|
Share on Facebook
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![]()
| Birthdays |
| |
Charlie Gillingham (Counting Crows) - 49 - American keyboardist,
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - 47 - American actress,
Clarence Clemons (E Street Band) - 66 - American musician, |
|
| |
more... |
|
 |
|
