The administrative offenses in land clearing almost doubled from 2017 to 2018, increasing from 4.638 to 8.410 records, while the value of fines more than quadrupled, going from 807 thousand euros to 3,7 million euros, revealed the GNR.
After the great fires of 2017 and the legislative changes in the National System for the Defense of Forest Against Fire (SDFCI), with a deadline of March 15 for the owners to ensure the cleaning of forest land and with the fines "doubled" , the year 2018 reflects the turnaround in fuel management, according to comparative data from 2015 to 2020.
In that year, a record number of administrative offenses was registered, with 8.410 records, awareness actions, with 9.727 initiatives, and of those arrested for the crime of forest fire, in a total of 103.
According to data from the Republican National Guard (GNR), sent to Lusa, the year 2017 maintains the record for forest fire crimes, with 9.888 infractions, a number that was lower in 2015 (5.864) and in 2016 (7.670) and which has been declining over the last three years, going to 6.247 in 2018, to 5.777 in 2019 and to 4.919 in 2020.
"In 2020, the GNR registered 24.225 cases of non-compliance with land clearing and prepared 6.327 notices for violations", informed this security force, adding that 5.422 records refer to natural persons and 905 refer to entities or legal persons.
The total amount of fines in 2020 was 2,96 million euros (2.966.160 euros), below the record in 2019, which accounted for 3,72 million euros (3.720.600 euros), with 8.047 administrative infractions, of which 6.933 to natural persons and 1.114 to legal persons, according to GNR data.
With fines "doubled" since 2018, the value is 280 to 10.000 euros, in the case of a natural person, and from 3.000 to 120.000 euros, in the case of legal persons.
In 2018, the GNR instituted 8.410 administrative infractions, of which 7.371 were against natural persons and 1.039 against legal persons, calculating the total amount of fines of 3,7 million euros (3.705.060 euros).
From 2015 to 2017, the number of infractions and the amount of fines were always lower than those recorded between 2018 and 2020, according to comparative data.
Based on information from the GNR, in 2015 there were 2.676 administrative offenses, accounting for 490 thousand euros (490.140 euros), in 2016 there were 2.097 infractions, with a total fine of 397 thousand euros (397.200 euros) and, in 2017, there were registered 4.638 situations of non-compliance in land clearing, which allowed the collection of 807 thousand euros (807.720 euros).
In addition to the fuel management infractions, in 2020, the GNR prepared 194 records for fires and 1.224 for fires, for unauthorized execution or negligence in their execution, having also registered 52 detainees in flagrante delicto and 380 identified for the practice of forest fire crime.
Data from Operation Safe Forest have fluctuated from 2015 to 2020, including the number of forest fire crimes detained and identified, noting that, in terms of awareness-raising actions, the best year was 2018, with 9.727 initiatives, and the worst year was 2017, with 1.683 shares.
However, from 2018 to 2020, the number of awareness actions has been decreasing, going to 6.251 in 2019 and to 4.183 in 2020.
"The balance that the GNR makes regarding the defense of the forest against fire in the context of the covid-19 pandemic is positive, since, despite the constraints, it was possible to monitor 1.842 parishes, of which 1.114 were considered as priorities, as well as to execute a second pass in practically all the situations indicated”, said the security force, in response to the Lusa agency.
In 2020, the inspection of forest land clearing began on June 01st, after the deadline twice extended by the Government due to the pandemic, and up to that moment, "23.852 non-compliance situations" were identified and communicated to the respective municipalities, with greater incidence in Leiria, Castelo Branco, Viseu, Coimbra, Braga, Santarém, Vila Real, Viana do Castelo and Aveiro, so that, in case of default by the owners, they could replace them in carrying out fuel management.
"It should be noted that there is a greater concern for carrying out fuel management in buildings and population centers by citizens, namely a change in behavior generated by an awareness of the obligation to carry out these works", explained the GNR, ensuring continuity of work in the context of rural fires, “with the aim of protecting people, their property and nature and thus contributing to a healthier environment”.
Forest owners still have one month to ensure land clearing, including around houses, by meeting the “until March 15th” deadline, which remains unchanged despite general confinement due to Covid-19.
Lusa questioned the Ministry of Internal Administration about the possibility of having an extension of the deadline for the clearing of forest lands, since the general confinement decreed due to the Covid-19 pandemic will be extended during the month of March, but not yet got an answer.
Comments