Expert Disagrees with Regional Government on Forest Damage
According to Miguel Sequeira, a prominent botanist, professor at the University of Madeira, and former head of Madeira’s Forest and Nature Conservation Institute, the devastating fires on the island have inflicted severe damage on the Laurissilva forest, which might take up to 180 years to fully recover. His statement challenges the regional government’s assertion that the forest remained largely untouched by the fires.
It is an absolutely catastrophic idea. No one alive will ever see a forest again in the place where it burned.
Until we obtain a forest that we call a climax forest, or mature forest, for Laurissilva it takes approximately 180 years. For other types of forests, it is a little less. It varies between 80 and 130, 140 years. In any case, none of the people listening to us will ever see a forest again in the areas that disappeared
Miguel Sequeira, Sapot.pt
Wildfires Devastate Key Habitats, Impacting Water Retention and Biodiversity
Sequeira, a professor at the University of Madeira, highlighted that the fires have impacted significant portions of not only the Laurissilva forest but also areas within the Natura 2000 network and the Madeira Natural Park. Contrary to the claims made by Madeira's regional president, Miguel Albuquerque, Sequeira insists that the fires have destroyed crucial fragments of the forest across different parts of the island, including the Ponta do Sol, Ribeira Brava, and Curral das Freiras regions. The loss of these habitats, according to Sequeira, compromises the island's ability to capture and retain water, a vital resource given Madeira’s lack of major rivers.
Lauraceas, the plants that dominate the Laurissilva, do not resist frost, so the high areas of Madeira do not have Laurissilva, they have a type of vegetation dominated by large heathers and other trees that are all endemic.
Miguel Sequeira, Sapot.pt
Calls for Accountability and Resignation
In addition to critiquing the government’s assessment of the fire’s impact, Sequeira called for accountability from the Civil Protection authorities. He argued that the response to the crisis was inadequate and suggested that those in charge should resign due to their failure to manage and protect the island’s natural resources effectively.
The fault is neither political nor technical. It was someone's fault, the ignition, one of us, a citizen who started the fire, but then there is responsibility.
Miguel Sequeira, Sapot.pt
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