The UNESCO National Commission revealed this Friday that nothing indicates that o Estrela Geopark loses the World Geopark classification awarded by that international organization solely for fire-related reasons.
“Nothing indicates that the Estrela geopark loses such classification only for reasons related to a forest fire“, refers to a written response from the National Commission of the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (Unesco) sent to the Lusa agency.
According to the UNESCO National Commission, “the evaluations are the responsibility of the UNESCO World Geoparks, who carry them out every four years, to evaluate the fulfillment, by the geoparks, of the objectives and conditions that led to its creationtherefore, since it is not within its competence, the National Commission will not carry out any evaluation.”
the star geoparkclassified as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2020, includes part or all of the nine municipalities that are structured around the Serra da Estrela (Belmonte, Celorico da Beira, Covilhã, Fornos de Algodres, Gouveia, Guarda, Manteigas, Oliveira do Hospital and Seia), according to their website. It has an area of 2,216 square kilometers.
Also according to this website, the UNESCO Global Geoparks “are well-defined geographical areas, where sites and landscapes of international geological importance are managed from a holistic vision of protection, education and sustainable development”.
The fire that broke out at 03:18 on Saturday, in the town of Garrocho, Cantar-Galo and Vila do Carvalho parish, in the municipality of Covilhã (Castelo Branco district), spread to Manteigas, Gouveia, Celorico da Beira and Guarda (Guard).
“This looks like hell”: the fire does not stop even outside of Manteigas
That day at 11:15 a.m., 1,607 operational troops were on the ground, supported by 477 vehicles and 14 aerial means, according to the website of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority.
Source: Observadora
