Portugal and Galicia launch community land management and fire prevention plans

In Câmara de Lobos, Portugal, the youth wing of the local Social Democratic Party (JSD) organised a conference on territorial and landscape management. The event featured Ilídio Sousa, regional director of Territorial Planning, who highlighted the need to balance environmental sustainability with social responsibility and demonstrated the BUPi platform for identifying rural and mixed-use buildings. Participants discussed tools for monitoring land use and the benefits of greener urban planning.

In Lobios, Galicia, Spain, the regional government’s Director General of Forest Defence, Manuel Francisco, led a training session for neighbouring forest communities. The pilot project “Ollos no monte” aims to involve local residents in early detection of forest fires and rapid reporting to the Servicio de Prevención e Defensa contra os Incendios Forestais (SPIF). Francisco said community involvement “consolida como unha parte importante da resposta integral ante un incendio forestal”. The initiative seeks to replicate the model across Galicia to improve response times and reduce fire damage.