December 11, 2012

More “red” numbers related to forests and forestry in Portugal.


Over the last decades, the economic value of forests in Portugal has known a progressive decline, with several consequences on social and environmental levels.

Since 1996, it was diagnosed that forests in Portugal showed clear evidence of underutilization and over-exploitation. This diagnosis has worsened year after year.

  • 2,3% concerns to the decrease of the annual average change rate, in value, registered in forestry over the last decade (2000-2010), resulting from the lower prices paid out to forest owners (source: INE/CES 2010).



  • 7,1% corresponds to the growth of the intermediate consumption/production ratio, shown in the last decade (2000/2010, 20.6% in 2000 to 27.7% in 2010), an adverse situation for forestry (source: INE/CES 2010),



  • 1,5 million hectares is the estimated area of ​​abandoned soils in Portugal. This area corresponds to 43% of total forest surface and to 17% of the national land area (source. Portuguese Government).



  • 74,2 million Euros correspond to the amount spent on direct combat of forest fires in 2012, 10.3% more than the amount spent in 2011 (source: ANPC).



  • 35% was the average percentage related to the distribution of forest burned area, recorded by Portugal, between 2000 and 2009, compared to the set of 5 countries of Southern Europe.



  • 100% reflects the increase of eucalyptus area in the last 30 years. Data related to the last Forest Inventory are not yet available, however it is estimated that eucalyptus plantations in Portugal, which ranks fifth in the world, has increased by more than 400 thousand hectares. This positive evolution occurs in despite of the facts that the abandonment on eucalypt forests management is higher and the annual productivity average has experienced no changes since 1928 (currently is 10 cubic meters per hectare and year).


  

December 6, 2012

Some "red" numbers related to forests in Portugal.


Over the past 20 years, the economic value of forests in Portugal has known a progressive decline, which causes several social and environmental impacts.

  • 67% represents the decrease in the weight of the Gross Value Added (GVA) of forestry in national GVA, ie, 1,2% in 1990 fell down to 0,4% in 2010.


  • 40% concerns the reduction of the impact of forest cluster on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 2000 (3%) to 2010 (1.8%).


  • € 250 million is the approximate reduction on the Net Corporate Income from forestry in the decade 2000/2010. Will be this the main reason for the progressive abandoning of woodland soils management over the past 20 years in Portugal?


  • 1,5 million hectaresequivalent to the area of land abandoned in Portugal, represents the burned forest area accumulated on the last decade (2002/2012). This cumulative area corresponds to 43% of the total forest area in Portugal and 17% of the national land area.



  •  € 700 million was the amount of funding spent on support for afforestation, only for one woody specie, over the past 20 years. This value could have boosted 350 thousand new hectares of this specie; however the same specie lost around 400 thousand hectares during this period. Could the public funds applied to support the afforestation have boosted the "industry" of forest fires in Portugal?


  • 16 years is the period of time since the unanimous approval, in the Portuguese Parliament, of the Law on Forest Policy, published in August 1996. However, after this period the law was not yet regulated in its core measures. The regulatory process has already gone through for seven different ministers.