The Government has delimited 14 fire containment axes in Catalonia to curb the spread of fire between forest massifs and has begun to act on five of them, located in Girona-Celrà, Igualada-Martorell-Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Perafita-Manresa, Argentona-La Roca and Rasquera-Perelló.
The strategy arrives at a time when the capacity of the Generalitat Firefighters to contain high-intensity fires has clearly worsened. In 2003, only 0.2% of fires got out of control, compared to 11% recorded in 2023, a jump that the Government links to the new scenario of climate change and megafires.
The Government will act on 34,194 hectares of the 223,829 identified
The new plan, presented this Monday by the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, and by the Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, covers 223,829 hectares. The Catalan Executive estimates that the management of 34,194 hectares would provide significant protection to cut the continuity of fire between large forest masses.
There are already 14 fire containment axes identified in Catalonia.
The strategy foresees an increase in investment of 36.8 million euros. Within that figure, 15 million will be allocated to aid for municipalities to implement prevention measures, especially protection strips, and to update the Fire Prevention Plans, the PPIs.
In addition, the administration has already put out to tender actions for 2.85 million euros in 700 hectares and has nearly 1 million pending tender for another 195 hectares. That deployment is currently concentrated on the five axes considered priorities.
Ordeig admits that the territory was not prepared for the megafires
During the presentation, Òscar Ordeig maintained that the territory is not sufficiently prepared for the new context of climate change and megafires. The strategy therefore incorporates forestry, livestock, and institutional reinforcement measures in parallel with the work on the ground.
In 2023, 11% of intense fires got out of control.
The plan includes the promotion of extensive livestock farming as a preventive tool, the professionalization of the forestry sector, and the incorporation of green public procurement criteria in the tenders of the Generalitat de Catalunya to prioritize the use of certified local wood.
It also foresees consolidating the Special Group for Forest Fire Prevention, the GEPIF, and doubling support for the Forest Defense Groups with an annual line of aid to renew vehicles and machinery. Added to this is the reinforcement of the Forest Property Center for the management of private forests and the Territorial Services of the Department of Agriculture in public forests.
Las Gavarres and Montmell will have new perimeters before summer
The immediate calendar involves approving two new priority protection perimeter projects before summer. These areas correspond to Gavarres and the Montmell-Pontons-Mediona axis, while the rest of the pending projects are scheduled for 2027 and 2028.
The roadmap thus combines urgent actions in already selected corridors with a later expansion of the protection network. The closest detail of the calendar is the processing of these two priority perimeters before summer in Gavarres and in Montmell-Pontons-Mediona.