As a result of the criticism expressed by neighbors who live within the limits of the Serra de Collserola natural park and the recriminations of the management leadership of this protected space due to the low economic participation of the Generalitat in the budget, yesterday the department of Acció Climàtica committed to contributing an extra million euros to help address the increasing risk of fire caused by the extreme drought. In this way, the budget for 2024 rises to 7.6 million compared to the 6.6 million planned before the Generalitat's commitment.
The director of the park, Raimon Roda, regretted a few weeks ago that the budget approved on December 21, of said 6.6 million euros, gave little room for maneuver to respond to the challenges imposed by the fierce drought.
Coinciding on November 10 with the appointment of Jaume Collboni as the new president of the natural park consortium, it was recalled that the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) and the Provincial Council contributed 84% of the budgeted income while the Generalitat only participated with 3%, just over 200,000 euros. The remaining 9% is paid for by the nine municipalities with a municipal area within the protected space.
In this way, with the commitment announced yesterday, the sum that Acció Climàtica will disburse rises to 1.2 million euros, in addition to the million already cosigned previously that the Generalitat contracts directly for forest fire prevention actions.
The agreement materialized yesterday in a meeting held between the Councilor of Climate Action, David Mascort; Jaume Collboni; the director of the Catalan Water Agency, Samuel Reyes, and the executive vice president of the Collserola consortium, Xavi Paz. "The planned actions - indicate the parties in a statement - involve the implementation of improvement actions in areas affected by drought episodes, the reconfiguration of roads and the elimination of invasive flora." Likewise, they indicate that "actions linked to the drafting and execution of the comprehensive management plan for the Vallvidrera creek" will be undertaken.
They have all agreed on the urgency of budget expansion in the current context of climate emergency, in an environment with a high population density.
