Fire safety measures

The project

In the past, the forests of the Balearic Islands were managed by making use of the forests as a natural resource. This methodology eliminated excess vegetation of the undergrowth and reduced combustible material. Logging for firewood, both for fuel for human use and for lime kilns, coal and the controlled and sustainable pasture use of animals such as sheep and pigs, was profitable in the old management models.

The loss of profitability in these economic activities has led to the abandoning of the general management of the forests, increasing the risk of fires and their likelihood of rapid spreading when they occur. In addition, the abandonment of deficient land and less profitable traditional farming practices has led to a process of unintentional deforestation of former cultivated areas. As a consequence, the forest size has increased in an uncontrolled manner, leading to a significant rise in the risk of forest fires.

Forest fires imply changes in the water cycle, an almost irreparable loss of biodiversity and soil for ecosystems, which in turn endangers forest species.

For this reason, the aim of the Fire safety measures project is to provide funds to encourage farmers and owners of agricultural and forest areas to take action to clean and use the sections of the forest where fires are likely to start, according to the Balearic Islands IV General Plan for the Defence against Forest Fires.

In this context and in accordance with measure 8.3, Prevention of damage to forests caused by fires, of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, the beneficiaries of the financial aid will also be required to assess extracted forest remains so as to contribute to an improvement in energy efficiency and mitigate climate change.

The benefits of the project include economic aspects, since there is an expected saving for management in the tasks of preventing and extinguishing fires. However, there are also expected to be significant repercussions on the environment and the landscape, as well as improvements in the safety of forest areas and the leisure activities that take place there. Other aspects to consider are the problems caused in burned areas such as the loss of soil, run-off or reforestation tasks.