Asturias: funds will be provided for the prevention of forest fires in the mountains of rural parishes

The Government of Asturias has just approved the new items aimed at strengthening the prevention of fires affecting the mountains of rural parishes. A sum exceeding one million euros has been allocated for this purpose.

Fire prevention

The Governing Council has authorized today, in an extraordinary meeting, an expenditure of 1.3 million to strengthen forest fire prevention in the mountains of rural parishes. This item, which is financed by the European Agrarian Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), will allow actions to be launched to improve the defense of natural spaces against fire.

The funds will make it easier for local entities to program, coordinate and execute measures to prevent the spread of firesuch as the removal of combustible material and the cleaning of accesses to farms and pastures. It also seeks to create protection strips between the trees and reduce biofuel in strategic areas, runway margins, etc.

The Ministry of Rural Environment and Agrarian Policy will sign in the coming weeks collaboration agreements with the 39 local entities that exist in the Principality for the distribution of economic resources, which will be distributed in three annuities: 2024, 2025 and 2026.

The global budget will be allocated based on parameters such as the size of the parishes, the forest area, the slope of the land or the size of the pastures. It will also be taken into account whether the space is part of the Natura 2000 network.

The 39 local entities will allocate the funds they will receive from the government to the financing of preventive measures, such as the creation of protection strips between trees, the cleaning of roads and the removal of combustible material.