The new active forest and the Fundo Ambiental.

Better than nothing?

Subsidies. Sometimes a decision is made that leads in the right direction, and yet it is only a drop in the ocean. If a state has four million euros to allocate and divides this amount by 650 euros per hectare, you end up with around 6,154 hectares of forested area to be subsidised. It all depends on what is to be subsidised. Should we question the whole programme because of this, or should we rather just be happy that a start has been made and be positive about the fact that something is happening? After all, with these four million, a move has been made in the right direction, for the first time in Portugal, although around 6,000 hectares of future forested land is really only a negligible amount. After all, more than 27,000 hectares of forest were burned in the 2018 Monchique forest fire alone, 16,700 hectares of which were in Monchique itself, and only now are four million euros being made available for the whole of Portugal, which a forest owner can apply for through the ICNF in a cumbersome, bureaucratic online application process.

Why keep it simple when you can make it complicated?

We know that in Portugal, everything relating to the bureaucracy of the public sector is organised in a complicated way, when it could actually be simple. But, in this country, fraud or theft is suspected to be taking place behind every door and every window.

In Portugal, virtually no decisions are based on the high value of trust, especially as only 50% of the four million euros, i.e. two million euros, is due to be paid out in advance, while the remaining two million will only be paid after three years, when the applications have been completed correctly and the forest has been planted…

The reason for this is that the ICNF wants to wait and see what new trees have been planted after three years of the programme, with the exception of eucalyptus. Which trees and bushes are recognised? At an information session held at the cooperative in Monchique, two engineers from Lisbon, Leonor Lopes and António Cláudio Heitor from CONFAGRI, explain the “active future new forest”, which will consist of medronheiro, cork oaks, carob trees, almond trees and other indigenous plants, such as fig trees, chestnuts and so on. Photos will document the process and will be uploaded as an attachment.

And, in the mountains of Monchique, a completely new mixed forest should ideally be created, in which the risk of forest fires will be minimised. A good approach. Such a forest naturally requires preparatory work on the slopes of the mountains. In order to catch the rain and maximise the trees’ water reserves in winter, terraces have to be built – using bulldozers and excavators – so that the water can seep into the soil and will not just run down the slope in torrents and disappear into the sea in streams and rivers.

Around 50 participants were present at the meeting and listened to the presentations for around an hour. Then the question-and-answer session on the topic of active mixed forest began and it was clarified that the species ‘eucalyptus’ will not play a role in the active forest. Eucalyptus is not being promoted, and the new forest must be planted by 2027 (PEPAC 2023-2027), so that the land must be carefully prepared beforehand…

If you are willing to join forces with your nearest neighbours and want to plant this new type of forest, you can apply for a grant of up to 850 euros instead of 650 euros per hectare (operating as a collective) …

Oh yes, there is a deadline, and it should definitely be observed: applications must be submitted by 1 August 2025 (i.e. before 1 August). You must have decided to take part by then and your application must also have been submitted. Go to the website of www.confagri.pt and/or the ICNF and, if you live in Monchique and have any questions, contact Mr Americo Telo at the Agricultural Cooperative in Monchique beforehand. (Telephone: 282 912 424) They will help you, although you will have to speak in Portuguese, please.