This new regulation updates the 1994 provisions and covers over 131,000 hectares of forest land, representing 60% of Bizkaia's total surface area. Three-quarters of this land is privately owned, while the remaining quarter is public, with 20,000 hectares belonging to municipalities and 5,000 hectares to the provincial government.
During the last plenary session held this Wednesday at the Casa de Juntas de Gernika, 14 new changes were approved for the text, in addition to 15 amendments previously accepted in committee. The most significant change involves extending the prohibition on new eucalyptus reforestations until the respective Forest Resource Management Plans (PORF) are approved and come into force, with certain exceptions.
The new regulation passed thanks to the votes of the parties forming the Bizkaia Government (PNV and PSE). The Mixto-Elkarrekin Bizkaia and Popular Vizcaíno groups abstained from the vote, and EH Bildu voted against the articles they had amended, abstaining on the rest.
“"It is based on the multifunctionality of the mountains, seeking a balance between economic benefits (wood production and employment), environmental benefits (biodiversity conservation and climate protection), and social benefits (leisure and health spaces)."
The regulatory project, championed by the Provincial Council in the plenary session, is founded on the multifunctionality of forests, aiming for a balance between economic, environmental, and social benefits. The regulation establishes a public policy that is expected to involve thousands of private owners and the management of up to 30 different tree species.
