Illegal landfills are invading the Galician mountains.
Recently, representatives of the Galician Forestry Association met with the Director General of Forest Management and Production to discuss, among other matters, the use of barbecues in recreational areas and the problem of illegal landfills in the woods.
At this meeting it was pointed out that peri-urban woodlands, as well as being green spaces and providing resources for their residents, are one of the main recreational areas for citizens in an increasingly urban Galicia.
In the Vigo area alone, it is estimated that around 10,000 citizens enjoy the peri-urban woodlands every weekend.
In response to this demand for social use, many mountain communities have created infrastructure and recreational areas properly equipped in accordance with current legislation, which at present cannot be used in the event of a high fire risk.
The Forestry Association of Galicia is in favour of approving infrastructure that is an adaptation of what already exists, rather than new structures which would entail a greater expense and would do nothing but clutter the recreational areas and forest parks with buildings, increasing the risk of accidents, maintenance costs, etc. The Director General insisted that permitted barbecue areas must have adequate safety measures to prevent fires, regardless of the environment in which they are located, although, as requested by the AFG, their design must take into account the surrounding environment.
The AFG also asked for the Director General's assessment of the infrastructure adaptation proposal submitted by the Vigo Community of Mountains, to which the Director General stated that he was not aware of it. In this regard, and bearing in mind that each proposal will be approved individually, the AFG proposed that approved proposals be made publicly available in order to establish a catalogue of templates, so that proposals can be adapted to already approved templates, thereby streamlining the approval process.
Current legislation holds forest owners responsible for illegal dumping in the woods, even when they are precisely the victims, not the culprits. The financial cost of this injustice—fines and waste removal work—has reached up to €10,000 in a single year for some community woodlands.
The Forestry Association of Galicia has for years been denouncing this senselessness and calling for the abolition of the regulations imposing sanctions on property. Given the enormous proliferation of illegal dumping in the forests and the severity of the environmental problems it causes – water and spring contamination, soil pollution, very negative impacts on the landscape – the AFG is also in favour of greater police dedication to identifying those responsible for these offences and of tougher fines and penalties.
The Director General has committed to reviewing the current legislation so that, in future, the owner of the woodland that suffers an illegal dump will not be held responsible for it.
