Idália Duarte

Idália Duarte, aged 55; butcher

ECO123: What can we do to avoid forest fires?
Clear the forests, care for the forests as was done in the past, when the forests were kept clear. Whether it’s scrubland or old wood, it’s the best that could be done, caring for our forests, making the forests into a garden.

What responsibility does eucalyptus have nowadays for the fires?
It is already known that eucalyptus is very dangerous for the fires, but if people took care to clear the forests, it could be prevented. The bad thing is not that there is just eucalyptus. The bad thing is that the forests are not well cared for and that there are people who then take advantage of this to cause fires, to set them on fire.

How can we start or support the return of young people to Monchique?
By creating more jobs here, not letting the court and the finance department run away, we can keep our town with the same quality of life that it had years ago. We had a maternity ward so that babies could be born here. We had a hospital where people who were ill could go. And at the moment we don’t have a hospital, we don’t have a maternity ward, we don’t have a slaughterhouse. And by the look of things, they’re going to do away with the finance department, the register office and the court. These are the things they do that make young people not want to come back here.

And what can we do so that they come back?
Well, create jobs, encourage them to return to agriculture. Agriculture was always the poor relation and people who worked in agriculture were always seen as inferior people. They have to be taught that agriculture is a noble profession and of great value, for people to be able to come back to agriculture – and organise jobs.