Andalusia will renew its Forest Law after 30 years of validity of the current. The intention is to adapt the regulations to the new social and forestry reality in a context of climate change., in the face of the emergency of large forest fires, rural abandonment and the socially shared need to sustainably manage forests.
The announcement has gone down very well in the forestry sector, that I have been demanding for years, a change since we find ourselves in a context of evident climate change in which the concept of sustainable forest management becomes more evident than ever. The objectives of the new law are “to promote coordination, cooperation and monitoring of the actions of public powers and social and economic agents involved in forestry matters to make the enhancement and profitability of available resources compatible with their sustainability. The Law will be positive if it reinforces sustainable forest management, that is to say, serves to balance all the demands we make on forests: conserve biodiversity, but also to generate a sustainable economy that promotes its own management and serves to consolidate local populations”.
According to the Department of Sustainability, The new Forestry Law must be governed by regulatory simplification, the multifunctionality of forest lands within the framework of sustainable forest management, the adaptation of the forest area to climate change, the inclusion of voluntary emissions compensation strategies, the prevention of forest fires and the inclusion of Strategic Management Zones (SAY) in the new forest management.
The Andalusian Government points out the need for this law to recognize the contribution of forests to the provision of ecosystem services, “combining its conservation with the viability of the sustainable use of its natural resources and their multifunctionality”.
Consider Manuel Romero, dean of the Official College of Forestry Engineers of Andalusia, that the absence of current management is the result of the lack of plans and investment in forest lands and regulations “that have burdened management with bureaucracy.”, turning technicians into administrative people who move papers, in a political bid to conserve without touching, which is a contradiction because that makes self-preservation difficult.. Many of the Andalusian Public Utility Mountains became natural spaces protected for their values, fruit of the management carried out in them, which is an implicit recognition. They became untouchable and now we have them at risk due to climate change and large fires. Forest management must be dynamic, “multifunctional and provider of all the goods and services that society needs”.
So, from the past 29 In June, the process of prior consultations began, giving voice to social participation, for the drafting of the Draft of the new Forestry Law of Andalusia. Desde Genatur, We encourage social participation, which is so necessary and important for our Andalusian mountains..
