The Municipality of Baião is carrying out an intervention in the village of Almofrela, in the Campelo and Ovil parish union, as part of the Douro, Tâmega and Sousa ‘Village Condominiums’ programme.
This initiative aims to enhance and protect rural areas, promoting sustainable land management and reducing the risk of fires, while preserving the natural and cultural heritage and contributing to the enhancement of landscapes, by intervening in areas classified as ‘high’ or ‘very high’ fire hazards.
The intervention is part of a wider territorial strategy coordinated by the Tâmega e Sousa Intermunicipal Community, also covering the villages of Lameirão (Gôve) and Calvos (Loivos da Ribeira), as well as other towns in the municipalities of Cinfães, Resende and Marco de Canaveses, totalling 14 villages.
The creation of the ‘Village Condominium’ will make it possible to change the use and occupation of the land, promoting the transition from areas currently classified as scrubland or forest to other, more sustainable and safe agricultural and forestry uses, strengthening the territory’s resilience to the risk of rural fires, through strategic measures that combine fuel management, landscape conversion and community involvement.
The investment value of the application for the three villages of Baião is 122,200 euros and the area to be intervened is 28.81 hectares.
The actions to be carried out in the villages of our municipality are based on taking advantage of the natural regeneration of native species (oak trees), planting fruit-producing trees such as the European chestnut and strawberry tree and improving permanent dryland pastures and fencing them off.
These actions, which promote the interruption of the vertical and horizontal continuity of fuels, aim to reduce the risk of fires spreading, protect people, animals and property, while fostering biodiversity.
PROTECTING ECOSYSTEMS AND BOOSTING THE ECONOMY
The Mayor of Baião, Paulo Pereira, was in Almofrela to monitor the progress of the work and said that ‘this project is an essential step towards protecting the population, property and local ecosystems, enabling the transition to sustainable agroforestry systems, such as fruit crops, olive groves and pastures.
It represents not only an investment in village security, but also an opportunity for economic and social development for the local population. I hope that in the future it will be possible to extend this CIM project to other villages,’ he emphasised, stressing the commitment to ’landscape transformation and climate resilience.’
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IS KEY
The Almofrela ‘Village Condominium’ includes a strong community involvement component and awareness-raising and training activities are planned to train owners and inhabitants in sustainable land management, reinforcing the culture of prevention and the ongoing maintenance of protection zones, with the aim of encouraging sustainable land management and fostering biodiversity.
With this investment, the Municipality of Baião reaffirms its commitment to promoting sustainability and reinforces its role in transforming vulnerable territories, demonstrating that the security of rural communities inevitably involves harmonising forest management, agriculture and the active participation of the population.
This initiative is part of the Integrated Support Programme for Villages Located in Forest Territories, financed by the Environmental Fund through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), guaranteeing 100% funding.
