The Ministry for the Environment has answered Algarve MPs’ questions about the destruction of trees and ecological habitat near Cacela Velha.
Residents alerted ecological groups and the media on July 4, saying that trees and land were being cleared by machinery on ecological land near the village of Cacela Velha, on the Ria Formosa Natural Area’s coastline.
A GNR source informed Sul Informação that this cleaning had been "authorised by the Institute for the Conservation of Forestry and Nature" and was part of fire precaution work under the new land cleaning laws.
The Institute said that it had issued no permission to cut down trees and that staff would look into the matter.
Two of the Algarve’s MPs, José Carlos Barros and Cristóvão Norte, asked the Ministry of the Environment for clarification and on July 20th a group of environmental associations demanded clarity, claiming the trees has been removed, "without regard to species, size or location," and the natural and protected habitat has been laid bare by the owner’s contractors.
The Ministry of the Environment, in Lisbon, did not know whether the tree-felling was part of a fire prevention scheme, adding that no agricultural project licence had been asked for.
Sul Informação now has seen the answer from the Ministry to MPs, dated 30th July - 25 days after the questions had been asked – which states that even if the clearance was for fire prevention, the owner still has broken the law as "it would always be necessary to comply with other applicable legal regimes - which did not happen, with great damage to public interest."
The damage covering 29 hectares, is significant as vegetation, shrubs and several medium sized olive trees have been torn up. 'A few larger olive trees and carob trees were left unharmed,' reports the Ministry which adds that the owner was aiming “to clean up this long-abandoned land."
The clearance took place in the Ria Formosa Natural Park, in a Natura 2000 area and in the National Ecological Reserve, and failed also to take into account laws involving water resources. The work left cliffs and water channels exposed and generally rendered the ecosystem instable.
The Ministry is to start a, no doubt lengthy, process to fine the land owner who, in theory, could have to pay as much as €5 million.
The Minister asks also that State entities (ultimately funded by taxpayers) initiate a repair and rehabilitation process “to restore the conditions initially existing on the site."
Who was guilty of misleading the media, locals and environmental organisations?
The ICNF said it had not given permission for the work. The GNR stated that it had asked the ICNF which said it had given permission for the work. The Ministry said it knew nothing - which at least is believable.
