Sheep and goats will graze again in Collserola to prevent fires

A herd of 350 sheep and goats grazes on about a thousand hectares of Collserola Park as part of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) strategy to prevent fires. It is the first time that the provision of this natural clearing service has been made official, after years in which this and other herds have roamed freely through areas of the municipalities of Montcada i Reixac and Barcelona.

This year, these 350 animals are incorporated "into the staff," as highlighted by Jaume Collboni, mayor of Barcelona and president of the Collserola Park Consortium. This herd of goats and sheep is one of the tools with which the AMB has been working, since autumn, on "the passive strategy" to fight against possible fires and face the summer season.

In total, work has been carried out on 500 hectares of Collserola Park and, beyond animal grazing, firebreaks have also been opened, water points have been built, new accesses have been created, signage has been improved, the electrical structure has been optimized, and it has been ensured that no waste is dumped.

The Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, has assured that one of Catalonia's great challenges is "to optimize forest management with more economic and material resources" and, in this sense, he has stressed that the tasks carried out in Collserola "must serve as an example," and that they can be replicated throughout the Catalan territory. The Department of Agriculture has allocated some 730,000 euros to these fire prevention tasks, which began in autumn.

Thus, Collboni has assured that the park "is prepared for the hot months," after the maintenance tasks and the rains of recent months. During the first half of March, in addition, the active fire surveillance device will be launched as every year.

However, Collboni has insisted on the need to raise awareness and respect the forests, especially among residents of the area. "We must become aware of the risks associated with heat and rising temperatures," he remarked, recalling that fires can be prevented with simple acts such as not throwing waste in the forests or not lighting fires in nearby areas.