The Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) and the Mata do Bussaco Foundation announced today that they will enter into a technical cooperation protocol in areas such as forest management and prevention of fire risk.
“This cooperation will promote the sharing of knowledge and implement best practices in forest management and the prevention of rural fires in a territory that is iconic and extremely important in the Portuguese forest landscape,” stated the ICNF president, Nuno Banza.
Beyond forest management and the prevention and mitigation of rural fire risk, the technical cooperation protocol also provides for the conservation of natural heritage and the enhancement of forest ecosystems.
The decision was made in the context of a meeting held on Thursday at the Mata do Bussaco Foundation, chaired by the Secretary of State for Forests, Rui Ladeira.
According to the official, Bussaco National Forest is a unique heritage of the country, “whose preservation and enhancement require coordinated action, strategic vision and permanent commitment among all involved entities.”
“This cooperation between the ICNF and the Mata do Bussaco Foundation constitutes a decisive step to strengthen active forest management, promote its environmental, economic and tourism value, conserve biodiversity and strengthen the prevention of rural fires. Our commitment is to continue closely monitoring the identified challenges and to work together to ensure a more resilient, sustainable and valued future for the Mata do Bussaco and for future generations,” stated Rui Ladeira.
The president of the Mata do Bussaco Foundation, Gonçalo Breda Marques, meanwhile highlighted that the presence of the Secretary of State for Forests, the ICNF president and the Mealhada City Council president, as well as the holding, at Bussaco, of the ICNF’s board meeting, constitute “a very relevant sign of recognition of the strategic importance of this natural, historic and forest heritage.”
“The Mata do Bussaco requires from everyone a close, permanent and technically robust cooperation. This protocol therefore represents a very important step to reinforce technical support to the Foundation, identify priority interventions and implement urgent investments in the areas of forest management, fire risk prevention, nature conservation and the sustainable enhancement of this unique space in Portugal,” he concluded.
