Livre (Free Party) reiterates its position against the Regional Government’s intention to privatise pedestrian routes and calls on the local population to intervene in this matter and sign a petition to prevent Madeira’s walking routes from being commercialised.
In a statement, Marta Sofia points out that this is “an attack on the public’s natural heritage and a dangerous opening to the commodification of the territory in the name of short-term tourist interests.”
The party regrets that the regional executive wants to move forward with the measure based on international models, since Livre considers that these cannot be taken into account because they are different realities from Madeira.
“What can work in other countries, with totally different dimensions and realities, cannot be applied mechanically to an island with fragile ecosystems and a limited territory,” points out Marta Sofia.
In addition, it points out the dangers associated with the commodification of trails, which, according to Livre, include the creation of financial barriers to access, the degradation of natural heritage by excessive exploitation, and the progressive exclusion of the local population from their natural resources.
Livre indicates that the current public management model already ensures the possibility of financing the maintenance and protection of the routes. The Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation (IFCN) already charges entry fees on several trails, generating public revenue that can — and should — be applied to the preservation, maintenance, and defense of ecosystems. This fund can also be used to strengthen essential human resources, such as nature rangers and forest police, whose presence on the ground is essential to protect the territory and ensure a balanced management of nature tourism.
“Even if it is necessary to resort to a regional referendum, this measure must be stopped. Madeira’s natural heritage — the levadas, paths and trails — is part of our collective identity and must remain under public management, with free, safe and democratic access. “Marta Sofia.
Concluding, the Livre party Legislative Candidate stated:
The party also questions the legality of the measure, namely the possibility of handing over natural public domain assets to private entities for commercial purposes. When a Government abdicates its responsibility to manage and protect the natural territory, it is not innovating — it is confessing its own incompetence. To privatise the trails is to assume that it has failed in its most basic obligation: to protect the common good.
