Helena Freitas proposes “A pact for the forest” as a national imperative
In an article published in Público, the TERRA and CFE researcher proposes a pact for the forest as a response to the current model, which impoverishes territories and increases the risk of catastrophic fires.
The coordinator of the Center for Functional Ecology (CFE) and member of the TERRA Associate Laboratory, Helena Freitas, launched an urgent appeal this week for the reconversion of the Portuguese forestry model in an opinion piece published in the Público newspaper. Entitled “A pact for the forest,” the text argues that the country is at a decisive turning point: either it continues to rely on an extractive and vulnerable system, or it takes the lead in a profound ecological transformation.
According to the CFE/TERRA researcher, the current forestry model “impoverishes territories, degrades soils, depletes water, threatens biodiversity, and increases the risk of catastrophic fires.” In this opinion piece published in Público, Helena Freitas proposes a national pact that places forests at the center of public policy, with a focus on valuing ecosystems, sustainable resource management, and climate resilience.
The proposal comes amid growing concern about forest fires and the impacts of climate change, which have severely affected rural areas. For the CFE/TERRA researcher, it is essential to abandon short-term thinking and invest in a “new, more diverse and intelligent forest economy” that is integrated with local communities.
The article reinforces the mission of TERRA members to promote sustainable territorial solutions and highlights the role of science and active citizenship in building a new forestry paradigm.
Full article here (in Portuguese).
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