The Ministry of Agriculture and the Sea declared the public utility, with urgency, of land in several parishes of the municipalities of Arcos de Valdevez and Monção, for the creation of fuel management strips. The order was published today in the Official Gazette and aims at the implementation of the primary network of fuel management strips.
The fire defense network will occupy 91 land parcels, covering the parishes of Sistelo, Union of Parishes of Alvora and Loureda, and Union of Parishes of Portela and Extremo, in the municipality of Arcos de Valdevez. In Monção, the measure involves the parish of Merufe and the Union of Parishes of Anhões and Luzio.
The administrative easement covers a total area of 1,494,487.33 square meters, covering a 126-meter-wide strip. The expenses will be borne by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF).
The fuel management strips fulfill the function of reducing the area affected by large fires, allowing and facilitating direct firefighting intervention. The objective is to establish, in strategic locations, favorable conditions for combating rural fires, being implemented in rural territories.
