Zero Proposes Radical Rural Property Reform Amid Criticism of Government's Wildfire Plan Delays
The environmental association Zero issued a formal proposal this Sunday for a structural reform of rural land ownership in Portugal, advocating for the mandatory integration of smallholdings into professionally administered Unidades de Gestão da Paisagem (UGP), or Landscape Management Units. The announcement coincides with the association's severe criticism of the government's performance in implementing the Plano Nacional de Gestão Integrada de Fogos Rurais (PNGIFR), the national wildfire management plan, stating that nearly half of its short-term goals for 2025 are currently delayed. The policy objectives are centered on transforming Portugal's vast, fire-prone rural interior into an economically and environmentally sustainable landscape.
In a document dispatched to newsrooms, Zero outlined that the UGP model would convert latent property assets, often viewed by their owners as financial burdens due to maintenance costs and low productivity, into tangible financial assets. This would be achieved through the economic and sustainable exploitation of the landscape, underpinned by a system of payments for ecosystem services. “This model would allow transforming the patrimony of each proprietor, today seen as a liability, into a financial asset with real value,” explained the association. The implementation strategy for this reform would require significant legislative changes to the current property laws and a robust, transparent governance framework for the new management units.
The proposal's release is strategically timed, as the government faces an emergency debate in the Assembleia da República on August 27th concerning the recent wave of devastating wildfires. Zero's assessment of the PNGIFR, which was presented in March, found that of 62 short-term actions, “around 29 initiatives appear to be in arrears.” A more granular analysis of over 90 individual metrics indicated that at least 42 are behind schedule, representing 46% of the total commitments for the year. These delays affect critical areas such as landowner support, funding for forestry sapper teams, and the legal framework for rural property.
Francisco Ferreira, president of Zero, has called for the government to provide a full explanation for the delays and to present a credible long-term financial program for the nation's forests. “The planned funding seems to be clearly below the real needs, running the risk of turning a good intention into another incomplete exercise, without concrete impact on the ground,” the association warned. Zero insists that a rigorous assessment of the required investment costs is indispensable for the plan's success. The targeted outcomes of the PNGIFR include reducing the incidence and impact of large wildfires and promoting a resilient and profitable rural economy.
The political stakes are high, with Zero demanding that the government not only commit to the existing PNGIFR but also reform the state's governance structure. A key demand is for the Agência para a Gestão Integrada de Fogos Rurais (AGIF), the agency for integrated rural fire management, to be returned to the direct oversight of the Prime Minister's office. According to the association, such a move would constitute “a clear political signal” that managing wildfire risk is a national priority, a status they feel has been diminished. The debate on August 27th is expected to feature intense scrutiny of the government's actions and its long-term vision for a territory repeatedly scarred by fire.
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