The mountain can or cannot be cleaned

The fires that over recent days have calcined parts of León, Ourense or Zamoraamong other points in Spain, they have done more than razing hectares of field. The political trifulca is also heated. And encouraging bulos in networks, such as It already happened in 2022when Spain suffered another last summer for fire. In recent days there are A debate specifically that has gained strength in forums such as X either Reddit: Can the countryside in Spain

To answer it you have to handle some keys.

What happened? That fires have done more than razing thousands of hectares, forced to evacuate people and left A tragic balance of deceased. In their own way they have also warmed A debate that the summer of 2022 has already raised: is it prohibited to ‘clean’ the mountain in Spain? Are farmers or neighbors with restrictions when they want to clear fields? And if so, is that one of the reasons that explain that the fire takes days devouring hectares and hectares?

Why is it news? They are not new questions, but they have won weight following A video Posted yesterday by The country In X and that in less than one day more than 3.2 million visualizations have accumulated. In it you can see a group of neighbors from Riaño armed with rakes and unbrids that remove weeds from the slopes of the Le-2711 road to prevent the progress of fire. The piece lasts 22 seconds, but has left two big questions by driving. First, why do they take care of that task? And second (and most important), are they risking a fine?

What does the law say? In the case of Riaño, factors such as the ownership of the land can come into play, but if the question is whether the Spanish legislation in general prohibits the conservation of the mountains (the “cleanliness” results controversial Because the bushes are not garbage) the answer is no. The Law 43/2003 It makes it clear that one of its principles is “the sustainable management of the mountains” and that it is their owners “who first and more directly take responsibility” for that task.

In the case of forest surfaces cataloged as public utility, it also requires that measures must be taken to avoid erosion, fire risk or damage that may derive from snowfall, storms, floods or floods.

The mountain law even dedicates a specific section (Article 48) to fire prevention in which it clarifies that surveillance and extinction plans must include “preventive works throughout the year.” And speak specifically of the importance of “silvicultural treatments, firewood areas, access roads and water points that the mountains of the mountains must perform.”

Is there more? Yes. Beyond state legislation there are regional norms that are pronounced on the issue. Without going any further Galicia, one of the communities that is most suffering from fire, has a standard on fire (Law 3/2007) that is even clearer: in your Article 3 He points out that forest land owners “have the obligation to keep them in conditions that contribute to prevent or avoid fires, especially respecting biomass management.”

The law lends special attention at 50 -meter stripes located near urban areas, buildings, landfills or gas stations, among other facilities, and recalls the obligation to “manage” vegetable biomass at those sensitive points to avoid fire risk. In 2018 the Xunta even signed An agreement with the Federation of Municipalities (Fegamp) and Seaga to offer slips at tight prices. Moreover, have plots Without cleaning And full of stubble, can hold fines.

And the 2030 Agenda? Another comment That has been heard is that the UN 2030 Agenda prohibits cleaning the mountains, a deceptive statement, Remember Verifartvefor a simple reason: the 2030 Agenda is a framework that establishes a series of sustainable development objectives, not a law, or a royal decree or any other rule that establishes prohibitions. Its function is to set goals.

What the legislation does is establish a series of guidelines when it comes to clearing or cutting thickets. For example, depending on the area or even the time of the year we are talking about, there may be limitations when it comes to clearing or working in the mountains. But in general, as he remembered recently In Lasxta María Colmena, of WWF, cleaning restrictions is applied “in very specific cases in which authorization is required.” “In general you can.”

How are fires explained? Among other issues, for a sum of meteorological, orographic and social factors in which a poor or at least not effective enough forest management can be included. Another key element is The depopulation and the progressive abandonment of the rural one, which in turn entails a change in the use of the fields and mountains. In fact, that abandonment partly explains the abandonment of plots that until a few decades were cared for.

“Rural depopulation, lack of economic profitability and the disappearance of traditional uses are the other structural cause of the problem,” WWF warns. According to its calculations, the abandonment of agriculture and extensive livestock has left more than 2.3 million hectares without agricultural use and a collapse in the livestock cabin, which facilitates that the mountains are much more flammable. “

Images | Ministry of Defense (X)

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