Ecologists have attacked a new law, approved in Congress last week, which permits building on land destroyed by forest fires.
In the Murcia region there is an area of some 316,000 hectars, mainly pines and conifers, affected by the law, which includes 26,320 hectares within the borders of Calasparra, Moratalla and Cieza affected by the worst fire in the region for 20 years.
Ecologists claim the new law could lead to intentional forest fires by those who want to build in protected natural areas.
“The law is unnecessary and counter productive and the changes do not represent better management of the forests,” say ecologists referring to a section of the law which allows local authoritites to give planning permission for building on scorched land.
The Ministry of Agricultural, Food and the Environment has claimed that a clause in article 50, which permits issuing building licences for forest land, has an element to dissuade deliberate forest fires by requiring that “change should be in the public interest.”
