The Portuguese government launched a pilot project in March aimed at allowing this Goat Disinfection of vulnerable areas Fires. This is the “most natural and most economical” method according to Antonio Borges, Executive Director of the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF).
Goats roam the scrub areas Portugal Feast on heather, broom and bushes. They are more efficient than bulldozers or men equipped with brush cutters, and can reach steeper and rockier terrain. The cleared sites thus become natural firebreaks.
About forty shepherds
About forty sponsors will participate in the project over the next five years throughout Portugal. This work will earn them €125 per hectare cleared in the first year, then €25 in the next four years.
This is a welcome additional income for these men, whose important “vigilant role” Antonio Borges emphasizes. Thiago Oliveira, head of the expert group responsible for reformulating the forest fire prevention and control system, notes that the country is still vulnerable to fires.
Fewer fires last summer
ICNF hopes to see results from the project quickly, but the true effectiveness of the goats cannot be measured for five years or more. “New forest management initiatives will take decades to produce results,” explains Thiago Oliveira. “It's a long process.”
after Deadly fires in 2017 Which left more than 100 dead in central Portugal, last summer was less deadly. The calcined surface area decreased by 60% compared to the average of the past 10 years. The authorities noted that the number of fires decreased by 40%.
