Last week, the Regional Government confirmed that they will be handing over the management of the Pedestrian Routes to private companies. They say this will reduce the carbon footprint, monitor tourist routes with greater pressure, and strengthen air quality monitoring (obviously, they have not visited Rabacal recently!).
This revelation has not been met with overwhelming enthusiasm.
The Regional Nucleus of Quercus da Madeira has expressed its “deep concern” with the Regional Government’s intention to concession the management of the Region’s pedestrian routes to private parties. The proposal was announced by the regional secretary for Tourism, Environment and Culture, Eduardo Jesus, in a recent interview with DN, following which, in a statement, Quercus states its “clear opposition” to the measure and considers that it represents an “attempt by the Regional Government to remove itself from the responsibility of conserving the region’s natural heritage.”
The association recalls that most of the trails are located within protected areas, such as Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas, which implies legal obligations on the part of the Madeiran executive under the Habitats Directive. “The Regional Government has a duty to conserve and protect our natural heritage,” writes Quercus, stressing that the Regional Government is legally obliged to “maintain or restore the favourable conservation status of natural habitats and wild species of community interest.”
“It is known that, in multiple aspects, the Regional Government has not fulfilled its duty to conserve,” reads the note issued last week. As examples of this failure, the association refers to the “non-existence of the Natura 2000 Network Sectoral Plan in the Autonomous Region of Madeira,” the existence of outdated management plans, the absence of Adequate Evaluation of projects (such as the Ginjas path and the Curral das Freiras cable car), the negligent management concerning the control of invasive plants and a permissiveness regarding excessive visitation, which, according to Quercus, results from an incomprehensible reticence to determine load capacities and to ensure that they are respected.
The association considers that private management is not compatible with an environmentally responsible approach. The necessarily more restricted visitation imposed for reasons of nature conservation is not reconcilable with flows of visitors that generate abundant funds to feed profit, the ultimate objective of private management.” Quercus further argues that the application of revenues generated by access fees should be applied
to the trails. “The financial means resulting from the application of user fees should be used exclusively in the maintenance and recovery of the routes and the conservation of nature. It is not admissible that part of these means be used to support private businesses.”
The association recalls that, after the introduction of the €3 per person feeon classified walking routes, which generated 351 thousand euros in just two months, the Regional Executive reinforced the number of rangers by 36 officers and invested more than 59 thousand euros in counting and monitoring systems for hikers. New investments in the area were also promised. Faced with this scenario, he asks: “Does the government intend to assume costs and concession profits?”
The statement concludes, stating:
“Going on the evidence, it would appear that the Regional Government is not concerned about nature conservation. Only profits matter.”
One political party suggested that the Regional Government give the running of the country to a private company!
Samantha Gannon
info at madeiraweekly.com
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
