Government of the Azores moves forward with revision of Forest Ranger Statute, announces Neto Viveiros
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and the Environment announced today that the Government of the Azores has moved forward with the revision of the Forest Ranger Statute in order to "further dignify a career that honours public service."
Luís Neto Viveiros spoke during the celebrations of the 20th Regional Forest Ranger Day, which is celebrated today, stressing in his speech "the inclusion of 12 new members, whose process has already begun."
"It is an important reinforcement for the Regional Forest Ranger Corps and the first-year mandatory training for Forest Rangers represents a knowledge recycling opportunity for those who have been rendering service for several years," said the Regional Secretary.
The Regional Secretary also stressed the importance of the forest "as a defining and structuring element of the Azorean landscape," noting that it occupies an area of about 71 thousand hectares, which corresponds to "one-third of the Region's land territory."
With regard to its production component, Neto Viveiros stressed that "Azorean forests support an economic sector that is responsible for about 1,600 jobs," adding that the entire agri-forestry sector, with 247 companies, "generates an annual turnover exceeding 10 million Euros."
"Therefore, it is vital to establish lasting commitment between the exploitation of resources and their preservation, which is important to their sustainability and spatial planning," as defended by the Regional Government in the Azores 2020 Forestry Strategy.
In this context, the Regional Secretary said he counts the "fundamental performance" of Azorean Forest Rangers "in all areas involving not only the safeguarding of this valuable heritage, but also its management."
Forest Rangers came to the Region in the 1950s, when wastelands were submitted to partial forestry regime, Forest Perimeters were created on each island and afforestation plans began to be implemented.
These were hard times, recalled Neto Viveiros, "when hectares and hectares of forests were planted, when kilometres of roads were opened and when recreational forest reserves, plant nurseries and pastures were settled."
Hence, the Regional Secretary paid the Government's public recognition "to all those who worked with Forest Services, with special emphasis on Forest Rangers" due to their role in the "protection" of natural resources.