Until November 30, the Republican National Guard (GNR) carries out Operation “Safe Forest 2024”, reinforcing awareness, surveillance and inspection actions in forest areas in the context of preventing and detecting rural fires.
In a statement, the GNR said that the operation, which began on Thursday and ends on November 30th, also aims to “investigate the causes and crimes of forest fires and validate the burned areas, to prevent, detect, combat and repress illicit activities, guaranteeing the safety of populations, their assets and the preservation of forestry heritage».
According to the GNR, since 2013 and until 2023, there has been a positive evolution with regard to the reduction, not only in the number of ignitions, but also in the burned area itself, with 46% fewer fires being recorded. rural areas and 72% less burned area, compared to the annual average for the period.
The year 2023 presented, according to the GNR, the lowest value in the number of rural fires and the 3rd lowest value in terms of the burned area, since 2013.
Regarding the causes of fires, the guard indicates that burning and burning represent around 32% of situations.
«In this sense and for 2024, it is a priority to reduce the number of ignitions, through awareness-raising actions and demonstration of the correct use of fire, particularly aimed at municipalities in which more than 100 ignitions were recorded, namely, Ponte da Barca, Paredes, Vila Nova de Gaia, Amarante, Penafiel, Lousada, Gondomar, Montalegre, Fafe, Arcos de Valdevez, Vila Verde and Marco de Canaveses», says the GNR.
The actions will have the collaboration of the Agency for the Integrated Management of Rural Fires (AGIF), the Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation (ICNF) and the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC).
In the “Safe Forest 2023” operation, the GNR detained 63 people and identified 970 for the crime of forest fire, with 3.292 administrative offenses recorded for burning, failure to clear land and burning.
In a report on the “Safe Forest 2023” operation released on January 13, the GNR stated that last year 4.332 forest fire crimes were recorded.
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