«A very strong sign that the interior continues to be a source of work for the Municipality of Loulé» is how Vitor Aleixo, mayor of Loulé, describes REACT-EU of the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program (COMPETE 2020), which allowed reforestation, in the parish of Ameixial, an area of 147 hectares, with an investment value of almost 750 thousand euros.
The closing session of the work of “Combating desertification – Ameixial” took place on the 13th of December, in Ameixial, in the presence of the owners, representatives of the partner Association of Forestry Producers of Serra do Caldeirão, regional director of ICNF and presidents of the boards from the parish of Ameixial and Salir.
At this time, the results considered by those responsible as “very positive” were announced, as the
intervention increased tree density by around 80%, «an important contribution to combating vegetative desertification in this territory», says the municipality in a note.
After clearing the bush on the owners' land, soil-improving species were sown and more than 18 trees were planted, including cork oaks, holm oaks and strawberry trees, but the mixed dry orchard land (carob and fig trees) was also replanted. On the other hand, 6 kilometers of road network were improved.
In a note, the Loulé Chamber reinforces that «the actions already carried out will reduce desertification, with an increase in nutrients and carbon sinks, promoting an increase in local biodiversity» and recalls that, over the years, «the drastic decrease in Rainfall, increased drought and temperatures have led to the impoverishment and abandonment of soils, as well as the loss of biodiversity, and Serra do Caldeirão is a good example of this.
«It is nature that is dying, also accompanying the decrease in human presence in the territory and landscape», highlighted the mayor.
Rural areas are seeing an increase in their resilience in the face of the fires that have ravaged the forest. «It is a positive sign for the people who still live in the interior so that they do not abandon their lands. Your work in the forestry environment is extremely important. We want natural capital to be converted into income for people and, certainly, there is still the greater good of working to safeguard the Planet», explained Vítor Aleixo.
The opportunity to continue implementing these projects now arises with the opening of more financing under the PRR, for investment in the valorization of natural capital, as announced by Castelão Rodrigues, head of ICNF.
«The Government created lines of financing that have to do with the transformation of the landscape, with four main objectives, and one of them is to create integrated forest management intervention areas, for land measuring 1000 to 2000 hectares. I challenge the Municipality to make an application so that these 147 hectares can be replicated to other areas», urged the ICNF regional director.
The REACT-EU ERDF is an action funded as part of the European Union's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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