Last updated on 12th September 2023
The Agroecological and Silvopastoral Association of the Autonomous Region of Madeira has criticised the Secretary for the Environment for poor management of Madeira’s mountains.
“This association notes the serious abandonment and lack of management of the Department of the Environment and its institute, in the removal of weeds and other thickets that create fire risks and the degradation of the quality of our forest spaces. The process of cleaning up Paúl da Serra and its management is the best example of our findings and fully conforms to the sloppiness and incompetence of these entities,” they said in a statement.
The association classifies Madeira as a “powder keg,” noting that “the mountains of São Martinho, São Roque, Santo António, and many others, are hazardous due to brushwood and weeds.”
They also criticise the management of equipment and personnel who work in the mountains.
“Equipment and personnel work fifteen to thirty minutes a day and no one controls their productivity. Machines are at a standstill, are full of fuel, and appear not to have moved for weeks.” They are alluding to “the three machines that remained stationary for more than a fortnight as their drivers were not ordered to do any work.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
