Updated: 10 Jan 2022
MilVoz denounces the harmful management of the forest and landscape heritage of the Special Conservation Zone of Serra da Lousã.
Massive forest clearings are taking place across dozens of hectares of the Serra da Lousã Natura 2000 site, particularly near the schist village of Vaqueirinho, but also in the vicinity of Talasnal, Casal Novo and Terreiro das Bruxas. The clearings appear to be mainly aimed at extracting large quantities of pine timber, and the cutting of broadleaf trees of high conservation value has also been verified, including chestnut, oak and birch trees. According to reports from local residents, these interventions are taking place on communal land.
Furthermore, these assaults on the natural heritage represent a clear and concerning opportunity for colonisation by invasive exotic species, particularly mimosa, a species that already poses a serious ecological and landscape problem in the range, against which no control effort has been made. It is therefore expected that the area occupied by this species in the range will continue to grow exponentially, an expansion certainly amplified by the absolutely inadequate forestry interventions currently underway.
In this regard, MilVoz has filed a complaint with SEPNA-GNR, ICNF and the Lousã Municipal Council, awaiting developments from the competent authorities.
We call on you to join us in safeguarding the natural values of the Serra da Lousã by sending a statement of the problem to ICNF and the Lousã Municipal Council:
Recipients: geral@icnf.pt ; dpai@icnf.pt ; dcnb@icnf.pt ; dgfc@icnf.pt ; geral@cm-lousa.pt
Subject: Large-scale clearings and harmful forest management in the SAC Serra da Lousã
Dear Sirs,
I am writing to denounce the massive forest clearings taking place across dozens of hectares of the Serra da Lousã Natura 2000 site, particularly near the schist village of Vaqueirinho, but also in the vicinity of Talasnal, Casal Novo and Terreiro das Bruxas. The clearings appear to be mainly aimed at extracting large quantities of pine timber, and the cutting of broadleaf trees of high conservation value has also been verified, including chestnut, oak and birch trees. The clear-felling intervention is causing profound damage to the natural and landscape heritage of Serra da Lousã, representing a disturbance that will greatly benefit invasive plant species such as mimosa, with the consequence of a rapid retreat of native forest and degradation of the natural values of this range.
According to reports from local residents, these interventions are taking place on communal land.
Yours sincerely. (Fill in your name)
