Pastoralists (Shepherds) are also calling for ‘honest and tangible laws and regulations’ and are harshly critical of the inspection of Madeira’s nature by the Instituto das Florestas e da Conservação da Natureza (IFCN).
This Sunday, at a press conference, the Association of Pastors of the Serras de Santo António, São Roque and Arieiro warned of the fact that it is necessary to review the existing legislation in Madeira, for a better adaptation to the orographic and pasture reality of the Madeira mountains.
During the annual sheep shearing festival, the President of the Association, José Manuel Gomes, asked that all sheep herds be placed in the same framework as those that are sheltered free of charge in the Government’s sheepfolds.
“The safety margins and latitudes assigned to them must be universal, that is, they must also apply to other herds that want and need to graze without being harassed and persecuted,” he argued.
The Association further guaranteed that it would not give up its rights to use and manage the community lands in the Santo António, São Roque and Arieiro mountains. “We will make a strong case for them,” emphasised José Manuel Gomes, noting that “several attempts to appropriate and usurp these community areas have taken place, and are still taking place, some even by the Regional Government, which was denied by the courts.”
“The shepherds of this association and others will unite, we do not abdicate the right to grazing and the administration of our community lands. Neither the Government nor private millionaires can override what the law provides. We will defend legality without a single moment of inattention what is lawfully ours to use.”
José Manuel Gomes, went on to say that current inspections by the Forestry Institute were not what they seemed, especially as “construction and demolition waste is dumped on our mountains daily and the Forestry Police only “hunt” one in three perpetrators per month at most. How effective are these means and services that allow the existence of the ‘Asbestos Cemeteries’ next to the Laurissilva da Madeira ZEC at the Ginjas site?” he queried.
José Manuel Gomes appeals to the Regional Government and the Environmental Secretary to open a “fact-finding inquiry into this, and other episodes of abuse of power and armed threats.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
